Lullaby Delirium
by Kismet's Kiss
Summary: They say if you fall asleep after something really amazing happens, it'll turn into a dream. A dream that'll last forever as a memory.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to the inspiration from x4ashes4ashes' blog and her amazing Axl/Sue story, I decided to finally write a fanfic for an incest-shipping that has completely taken me by surprise and has undeniably captured my shipper heart. **

**I'm going to try and make this story as long as possible, but as with everything, inspiration and motivation are vital components to the longevity of these stories, so please read, and if you like, or don't like, let me know with a review! Thanks =)**

**Side Note: I have a way of always incorporating flashbacks or "previews" of future scenes which will later come together in a conglomerate of memories and moments that define the story. So if characters seem OOC, it's most likely because some scenes they are in are of a future them. **

**This chapter will be a blend of the beginning and the end of this story, a prologue, if you will. **

**-X-**

"_What if no one ever loves me like that again…?"_

She's moon faced and starry eyed, her optimism always running on high. She'll smile in light of his insults and forgive him despite his half-felt apologies. She believes everyone has a heart as big as hers, and is constantly proven wrong, yet she continues to fearlessly love all around her, and Axl really does have to admit, to himself, that he admires her for it.

So when she's crying in her room alone, after her first real boyfriend dumps her, he can't seem to bring himself to ignore her and instead comforts her. When she asks the question he knew would eventually come up, her heart in her eyes, her fingers gently tugging on his new baseball uniform, he knows this will not be the last time someone loves Sue Heck.

-**X**-

_Back in the day, this place was like a house of magic. A place so filled with tears and laughter. I thought, surely, we would always be this happy..._

"Axl! Don't-"

"You're delirious Sue! You always have been! I don't know how you could possibly think this would ever work!"

She takes a last glimpse of comfort at the ticking on the clock's face and she swears those hands move faster every day. There's a moment, a small moment of hesitation, of desperation but then they soon fall away out of reach.

The noise of the door shutting far off echo within her and she knows they've finally crossed the line. She silently falls to the floor but all she can do is gaze at the time.

_You were my lullaby delirium. _

**-X-**

He's gotten used to her showing up to his baseball games, cheering him on with her high pitched squeaks and clapping like a retarded seal. He whispers 'lame' before kicking at the baseball mound, wishing his hot girlfriend and her even hotter friends were there instead of his sister but when he takes a glance up at her, her bright braces and headgear reflecting the sun causing him to adjust his baseball cap, he smiles softly. Beats having no one, he determines and then focuses on the pitch.

After the game, he strips himself until he's just in boxers and throws his sweaty, dirt covered clothes into the trunk of the car. Sue bobbles up to him with two cups in hand, offering the one with little ice to him as a 'good game' reward, even though they lost.

"Thanks." He muffles as he downs the drink and hands it back harshly to her which throws her off balance. "Come on, let's go, there's a party I need to get ready for." Her head perks up but he throws his hands up and pushes her head down instinctively. "No. You're not invited. You already came to two of my games this week, _God_!"

"Oh. Yeah…You're right Axl, I should get started on my homework anyway." After a weak smile, she walks towards the passenger door while adjusting her headgear before sipping her drink. As they get in the car, Sue humming some ridiculous Justin Beiber song, he thinks about what to wear and who to hook up with, there was Becky from English with the hot body but not so hot face and there was Lauren from Math with the awesome car but talked too much, and if desperate, there was his girlfriend Chelsea who he was beyond tired with.

"Axl?" He chooses to ignore her at first, but after the third time he barks out a 'what'. "Geez Axl, I was just trying to tell you that next month is the spring dance! Since it's my first year at the high school, I was wondering if you could, you know…" she wiggles her eyebrows and slowly grins creepily. After a moment of silence and Axl obviously not comprehending, Sue throws her hands in the air and jumps up and down excitedly exclaiming whether he could help her get a date with one of his friends.

"What? _No!_ No way, Sue. All of my friends are _cool_ and you are _not_. There is absolutely no way any of my friends would go with you! Ew. _Gross!_ The very thought of it is making me sick- for _them_!"

"Wow Axl, I was just asking… you don't need to be so mean!" She crosses her arms and decides to not talk for the remainder of the car ride, which he actually prefers. Only, after two minutes, he feels uncomfortable and without knowing why, he speaks out. "Why can't you… you know, go to the spring…dance thingy with someone in your grade?"

"'Cause Axl, only juniors and seniors can go to the dance! Freshmen are only allowed to go if they are dates."

Exasperated he lets out a heavy sigh. "Soooooo, why not wait two more years and then you can go to the stupid dance? I mean honestly Sue, must I always be the _brains _of this family?"

"But Carly is going!"

"What? Your geeky friend Carly?" Sue nods to this, her cheeks flushed, he can't tell if she's angry or jealous. He thinks back to the last time he's seen Sue's friend and makes a slight motion of approval. She has gotten a little hotter, while Sue has…he takes a quick glance at the headgear and the big puffy sweater she's wearing and inwardly cringes.

"Listen, just because Carly is going doesn't mean you have to… _but_ if you really want to, why don't you ask her to ask whatever _loser_ is taking her to ask _his_ friends? There! I helped! Now stop talking to me about this!" Slowing down, he pulls up to the house and after parking, jumps out of the car, goes to the trunk to get his soiled clothing and runs into the house. Sue trails behind, nodding to herself, thinking about what her brother said and ultimately agreeing.

"Hey kids! How was the game?" Axl rushes past her _'no time to talk, woman!_' to which Frankie exchanges a frown with her husband, Mike, who is sitting on the couch with a beer about to watch a game, before turning to her only daughter.

"Oh hi mom! Axl's team lost but he played really well!" Shrugging off her schoolbag she goes straight for the phone and then hides in her room.

"Oh… better luck next time Axl!" she ultimately screams this as Axl is already in the shower. Turning to the messy kitchen, she then reaches for the phone deciding to order Chinese but meets with an empty stand. "Sue!"

In Sue's room she's talking a mile a minute, excited about the prospect of having a dance partner. "Carly, maybe Eric will have a friend that would like to go with me? That way we can go together! Axl thought of it! What to do you think?"

"Oh my god! Why didn't I think of that? Your brother is so smart! I'll call him and ask right away! Call you back, bye!" When the phone goes dead, Sue giggles and leaves her room, bumping to Brick on the way. "Oh hi Brick! Guess what? Carly is going to ask her super cool spring dance date to find a friend to take _me_ to the dance! Look at your big sister! Going to an _older kid's _dance! Ahhh!"

Blankly, the youngest Heck nods. "That's great Sue. Mom was looking for the phone by the way and you have food stuck to your braces...(braces)."

"Oh! Thanks Brick! Mooooooooooooooommmmm! Guess what?"

**-X-**

She never closes her door, which makes it so easy to bother her and learn of her personal business. He's wearing a tight t-shirt and loose fitting jeans and he's put just a smidge of gel in his hair. Leaning on her door frame, watching her silently for a moment, he takes in how she constantly pushes her hair back from her face instead of simply tying it into a ponytail. Her eyebrows are scrunched together in concentration and she swings her right foot up and down in an unthinkable habit. For a fearful moment, he can't help but think his sister, to some _nerd_ or _dorky_ person that is, could appear to be adorable.

"Sue!"

"Ahhh! Axl! What were you thinking?" She's yelling at him through his laughter while she holds her hand to her chest to steady her quickly beating heart. "You could have given me a heart attack, Axl!"

"Good! Then mom and dad won't be so broke anymore and get me a new car!"

"Axl! Get out!" he lifts his hands in the air and turns to leave but quickly side steps backwards. "Axl, I said get-"

"Hey! I just wanted to ask if you took my advice for that dance thing!" he shifts uncomfortably and places his hands in his pockets. "Not that I care or anything."

Sue watches him for a moment before mindlessly shifting her homework around. "Carly said Eric didn't really know of anyone…but that's just off the top of his head! I'm sure when we get to school on Monday, he'll think of someone!"

Doubtful, but he doesn't voice this opinion. "Yeah, sure. Whatever, I'm out of here."

"Have fun Axl!" he waves her off and soon the door closes and he's gone.

At the party, he hates to admit that instead of hooking up with the many available girls he is instead asking his friends and random guys there if they are going to the dance with anyone.

"Dude, are you _asking_ me to the dance? 'Cause, no offense, even though you are the Axe man, I don't go that way."

"What? No! Darryl, you're an idiot! I'm asking for…a friend. Now go away!" He takes a sip of a poorly concealed alcoholic beverage and surveys the room. Hottie #1 Becky is with his current girlfriend Chelsea and when Chelsea eyes lit up he turns quickly to pretend he didn't see her.

None of these guys are good enough for Sue-_er_ correction, none of them will stoop low enough to take her, he means, and shakes his head to organize his thoughts. Sean is sitting on the couch and chatting with some friends and Axl instantly thinks back to when Sue had a crush on him and wrote that _lame_ poem.

"Sean! Hey Sean, come over here for a second." Getting up with an apology to his friends, Sean politely makes his way through the crowd to Axl's position.

"What's up man? Having fun?" Throwing his hands over his friend, he pulls him into a corner and checks his surrounding before whispering.

"Sean…what if I told you a girl…a super _hot_ girl wanted you to ask her to the spring dance?"

"What? Really man? I'd say hell yes! Where is she? Is she at the party? I was thinking of taking Lauren but didn't know if you were going for her…wait, _oh_ man, is it Lauren?"

Shaking his head and slapping his friend's shoulder, he urges the bigger boy to focus. "_Focus! _No, this girl… doesn't go to our school. She's really mysterious and she uh…" scratching his head, he tries to think of a plan to make this work. "She won't be able to meet until the night of the dance!"

"What…? That sounds a little weird Axl, are you messing with me?" Shaking his head before taking another swig of his drink, Axl points at himself and then at Sean.

"Are you kidding me? I'd never do something like that to you man! Trust me on this one… she can e-mail! Yeah, she can e-mail and even write letters, if you're into that or whatever, but she's like, grounded, and stuff, and so she can't meet!"

"Oh… I guess that makes sense… kind of. Do you have a picture of her or better yet, does she have a facebook?" _Shoot_. He didn't think of this, and Sue's facebook is not one to show to the general public. Ever.

"No man, weren't you listening? She's grounded! Her stupid parents made her take down her Facebook! Can't you keep up? _God!_"

"Oh, right, right, sorry…but wait, then how can she e-mail…?" The music started getting louder and Axl took this as his cue.

"Sorry man! I can't hear you! But I'll let her know you'll take her! Thanks man! See you at school!" Effortlessly maneuvering through the crowd, Axl bypasses the two girls he had planned to make out with earlier in the day and opted to drive home and tell Sue the good news as soon as he could.

Not because he cared about her happiness, or anything.

**-X-**

**That's it for Chapter One! I hope it wasn't too confusing, I'll try not to integrate the past, present and future too often. **

**Reviews are **_**love**_**. **


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope we can kick start this fandom and generate more love for our Axl and Sue! Sorry it took me awhile before updating; between work and not having new episodes of "The Middle" I haven't had the time or true inspiration to write anything.

On a side note: Who have seen/read the Hunger Games? I just watched the movie and have fallen completely in love with PeetaxKatniss! I might write a fanfic for them soon!

* * *

><p>He comes home early that night, which causes his mother to question if she is hallucinating. Usually on nights like these, when there is a party, Frankie knew her son wouldn't be getting back home until midnight or later. Mike had quelled his wife's protests about a teenage boy being out that late with a slap on the back and a laugh filled with memories at their own teenage antics.<p>

"Axl? What are you doing home so early? Did something happen at the party? Are you sick?" Fretting, she starts to walk towards her eldest son, her first born, but is swatted at before she can even get close.

"Geez Mom. Lay off! The party was _lame_ is all. _God. _ Must you ask me about everything? I don't ask you why _you_ come home early from work do I?" throwing his hands in the air he walks down the tiny hallway that connects the bedrooms in the house, leaving Frankie to fend for herself as she tries to answer Mike's reprimanding look.

Once reaching his desired destination, Axl hesitates by the door, trying to think of what to say. He's in the middle of his fourth try when Sue opens the door in a hurry and runs straight into him.

"Ack!"

"Wha-_Ow_!"

The collision causes them to fall to the floor, entangled limbs and braces getting caught on fabric. The siblings, fussing, attempt to get up but only fail and fall back down.

"Sue! What is _wrong_ with you? Can you not even _walk _properly? Or do you need glasses now too? Get off me!" Struggling unsuccessfully and admittedly, half-heartedly, Axl maneuvers to get Sue off from on top of him.

"Oh, Axl! I'm sorry! I was just in such a hurry- ow!" Sue places her hands on the floor to propel herself up but falls back down.

"Oh my God! Is your freaky headbrace thing stuck to my shirt? Get it off! Get if off now!"

"Axl, stay still for a second, I'm trying to_ get loose!_" she scolds as she tries to tear her the top of her head brace from his new shirt. Axl pushes at her forehead with his hands, believing himself to be helping.

"Axllll…" she whines and he knows this isn't a good sign. "I think we need to get mom or dad to help, it's stuck really bad!" He looks up at her in horror, thoughts taken to the extreme of having to walk around with his dorky sister because he refuses to part with his favorite new shirt.

"No! Mom and Dad will just cut this shirt up or something because they are too lazy and I cannot lose this shirt! Here." Placing his hands on her waist, he starts positioning her from on top of him to beside him for his plan. In the process, he can't help but think that Sue's waist is thinner than he thought it would be for all the sweaters she wears.

"Axl, I'm sorry if you're favorite shirt gets ruined, I promise I'll save up allowance and buy you a new one." Her eyes remind him of kicked puppies and he realizes that he can never stay mad at Sue.

"Shut up. It'll be fine. You're talking to the Axe Man! I got this! Now, on the count of 3, we will get up together, okay?" Nodding, Sue agrees.

"1…" He grips her waist firmly, ensuring that she gets up exactly when he does to avoid too much ripping of the shirt.

"2…." Her hands find their way to his shoulders and firmly grip them. Her head is facing the floor as the top of her headgear is what's caught on his shirt and she fears moving her head.

"…3!" They both jump up and Axl exclaims at their success. Sue pumps her fist in the air with a little noise of celebration, still unable to move too much.

Surveying the situation, Axl idly notices that Sue is pretty tall for her age and almost reaches him. He would always scoff in disgust when he would see Sue kissing that poor excuse for a guy, Matt, thinking it wrong that a girl had to bend to kiss her boyfriend. He also always disliked a guy having to dip too low to kiss a short girl. He felt it too much work and would hurt his back after a while. Sue's height, he found, was the perfect height for him.

"Axl…?" Snapping him out of his thoughts, Sue's questioning voice made him think of his quickly thought up solution.

"Ok. So I remember someone telling me that hot water got gum off their shirt or something and so that should work for this too right?"

"Axl…I don't know how that makes any sense…"

"Just be quiet and follow my lead… walk backwards one step every time I take a step okay? We're going to the bathroom. It's not too far so you really can't possibly screw this up Sue!"

The TV is loud in the living room and Axl's bedroom door is closed, meaning Brick's reading and drowning out the world. Slowly, he takes a step forward and waits for Sue to do the same, they fall into a steady pattern before reaching the bathroom door.

"Ok, so you need to turn, a little, like this…" he moves her so she fits through the door effortlessly. "There. Ok, so let me just turn on the water…oh come _on! _You have got to be kidding me!"

"What? What's wrong Axl?"

"There's no hot water! Why is there no hot water?" hitting the back of the bathroom door with his fist, he scares Sue into jumping a little. "Sorry." He mutters, realizing his slip of teenage rage.

"Axl… you used up all the hot water when you came home! I tried to take a shower after you and it was warm for like, 2 minutes and then it was cold!"

Silent, Axl contemplates this and then frowns knowing this was probably true. "Well, okay! Fine! But now what are we going to do?"

"Let's just shout for mom and dad and…" Axl cuts her off with a snort before moving around awkwardly. "What's wrong now?"

"I… ugh, I have to use the bathroom."

"What? Ew! Why did you tell me that? You're going to have to wait until we get my head gear separated from your shirt!"

"Well we better figure something out real soon because I drank a lot of… juice, and I really have to go!"

"I'm not stupid Axl, I know what people really do at parties…"

"Yeah, _sure_." He scoffs and tries to place his hands in his pocket but gives up at the attempt as Sue's body is in the way.

"It's true! Dad drinks his beer during those grown-up parties and Brick has told me about the books he read about older kids! You know you shouldn't be drinking and driving A-Mmmm!" quickly placing his hands on her face, he shushes her and glares at the top of her head.

"Be quiet Sue! I don't drink and drive! Now, forget about all this, this shirt is a goner anyway, I'm just going to pull you apart, okay?" Frustrated and not waiting for her approval, Axl pushes and pulls his sister's death contraption away from him until he hears the undeniable ripping sound of his shirt being torn to shreds. Once freed, Sue steps back and examines the damage, wincing at her brother's next choice of words.

"Greeeeeat. There goes my shirt completely."

"I'm really, really sorry Axl." She reaches out and lightly touches the torn fabric before looking up at him. "I promise I'll buy you a new one…"

Sighing, he swats her hands away from his body. "No need. I'll live without it." He starts to turn away but then decides to do a backwards step and turn half-way around. "But! You could do my math homework for me!"

Nodding, Sue agrees quickly. In an almost uncharacteristic gesture, Axl flicks Sue's nose gently, muttering "loser" under his breath softly. Wrinkling her nose, she swats at him instinctively and he chuckles in response. He thinks back to the party for a mere moment and with eyes trained on Sue, he almost regrets lying to Sean, knowing that she deserves better, that she deserves honesty and someone to _want_ to take _her_ and all her quirks, to the dance.

Sue smiles at him due to their compromise. She's standing there a little awkwardly, as if she doesn't want to leave but has no reason to stay. It's then that Axl realizes that something is off about her appearance.

"Hey. Sue? Your head brace, it's all… sideways and stuff." Reaching out to try and readjust his sister's metal death trap, Axl's eyes widen when he realizes it's become unhinged and, to his eyes, completely broken. "Oh no…"

"What's wrong Axl?" Panicking, Sue's voice raises an octave.

"Nothing. Just, I think, your thing is a little broken…"

"What?"

"Geez! Don't scream! Just go to the dentist or something tomorrow! I'm sure they can, readjust it or whatever… now get out! I have to pee! Oh! And do my homework! My book bag is under my clothes from last week, I think."

Completely lost, Sue is forcibly pushed out the door while audibly protesting. When she hears him flip the seat of the toilet up, she rushes to her room to check her reflection. Upon seeing her head brace falling apart, she runs to the phone in the living room to call the emergency number for her doctor to make an appointment for tomorrow. Frankie and Mike merely tilt their head in her general direction, assume their daughter has whatever crisis she's going through under control, and turns back to watching the game in front of them.

* * *

><p><strong>This is a slow chapter, but I really want to get Sue's head brace off! So sorry for the filler like chapter, the next one should progress nicely!<strong>

**Thanks for reading **


	3. Chapter 3

So I've been talking with **x4ashes4ashes **and wanting to start up a livejournal community for our wonderful pairing, and was wondering who would be interested in joining it? Or if anyone even has a livejournal on here! Haha. Just something to think about!

Now, on to the chapter!

* * *

><p><em>His fingers trace the small wisps of hair up and down her left arm as it lazily holds him in place beside her. It's a bright, sunny afternoon as they find themselves alone in the house, a perfect opportunity for their long awaited rendezvous. Their parents were forcibly taken to the library for one of Brick's projects and they could not be more grateful for their brother's tendency to be late with assignments than in that moment.<em>

_She murmurs softly and adjusts herself before finding comfort with her head placed securely within the crook of his neck. His fingers in reply weave through her hair, becoming ensnarled every few seconds, causing him to give up soon after with a chuckle._

"_You should brush your hair before you come to me, you know."_

"_Hmmm...why?" her voice is laced with the soft rumblings of sleep. His lips finds hers and kisses her awake._

"_Because, it'll be easier to run my hands through them when we're like this..." After a moment's thought, he adds "dork." at the end of his statement for good measure. When she giggles and playfully calls out his name with a light smack, he grins and brings her flailing hands to his lips, softly leaving cascading kisses until he reaches her wrist._

"_Axl, I wish we could be like this always."_

_He does not miss the note of defeat in her voice, but chooses to ignore it. If he were to believe that this-whatever **this **is-was doomed to not have a happily ever after, then why did they allow themselves to go down this path to begin with?_

"_It can be Sue, it __**will**__ be." She looks up at him with those eyes that look as though he is the only one she will ever love, and he swears he almost believes it. She perks up at the sounds of their parent's car pulling up to the driveway and quickly kisses him on the lips before running out of his room._

_Sitting up slowly, he makes his way to the bathroom to run cold water over his face, to wash away any evidence of their secret. The sounds of Sue's overly high pitched squeals over some fabricated story about what's she been doing for the past hour, his mother's deadpan voice feigning interest, and the uneven shuffling of his brother's feet, no matter how much he wishes to, does not distract him from the one clear and obvious truth before him._

_Axl Heck was caught up in the fanaticism of this love._

_**XXXXXXX**  
><em>

Usually, on a lazy Saturday afternoon such as this one, Axl would be on the living room couch, watching television with a bag of chips on his bare chest, oblivious to the world around him.

But not today.

No, today Axl was on a mission. A mission to get away with the most complicated lie he has ever created. He needed Sean to believe in his story and for Sue to somehow play along with it…the question though was, how? How could he get Sue to e-mail Sean under the idea that she was this completely different person? Would Sean believe it? Sue was pretty bad at lying… so how?

And then it hit him…

It happened when Sue came out from her room, exclaiming that she needed to check her e-mail on the family computer because her friend Carly had sent over something funny. Axl watched her curiously, like a hunter watching his prey in its' unnatural habitat, watched as she turned on the computer haphazardly, clicked on the keyboard before her very slowly, and _very_ loudly. Laughed like a maniac, asked why someone from Nigeria was asking for help, and if Axl knew him, then just got up and walked away. No logging off from her account, no turning off the computer, nothing whatsoever in basic protocol of internet privacy!

Yelling into the couch cushion, he knew he could never get Sue to pretend to be some hot girl that has nothing to do all day but be on her computer writing love notes to Sean. So, with this realization, he decided he would have to **be **the hot girl.

With a shudder, he got up and went to his room, tearing out a piece of notebook paper and began writing what he thought would be romantic and _hot-girl_ like. After five failed attempts, mainly because it was pointed out to him, by Brick, that his handwriting was too masculine, Axl thought he would never accomplish his task.

"Axl! Axl get in here!" rolling his eyes to his mother's yelling, after a long "Whaaaaaat?" he finally dragged himself into the living room.

"Axl! How many times do I have to tell you **not** to leave your socks on top of the dirty dishes? Isn't it enough that the dishes are dirty that we don't need your smelly, disgusting socks contaminating it more?" Frankie's hands find their way to her hips and that's the clear indicator that Axl is about to get a lecture.

"Mom!" with his index finger pointed up, ceasing her nagging, Axl tilts his head to the side for the dramatic effect. "Instead of wasting time over your young, beautiful first born son's habits, you should be trying to help me with my English project!" charmingly make his way over to his mother and placing his arms over to bring her beside him, Frankie eyes Axl wearily.

"Oh really? And what kind of English project is this?"

"A project only my dearest mother can help me with! Since, you know, you are a woman." Rolling her eyes at the statement, Frankie allows him to continue on. "You see, our teacher wants us to…experience a sort of, switch in "roles" if you will. She thinks it would…benefit us, yeah, to write a letter to one of our classmates, but from the perspective of the opposite sex."

"Well…that sounds a little weird. What's the point in that?"

"Thank you! You're so smart mom! But what can we do? We need to follow curriculum, right? So, you see… the problem is…I've tried. I mean, _really_ tried, but I just can't do it! No matter what the teacher wants us to learn from this, I will _always_ be a man! I can't think like a female, I don't know how they think! No man does! And forget writing like them, with their hearts n' stuff! So! Could you please help me? I promise I'll stop leaving my socks on my dirty dishes if you do!"

"I don't know Axl…" giving it some thought, and also secretly taking pleasure in seeing her son squirm, Frankie holds out on giving a response for longer than Axl would have liked. "I mean, this is _your_ homework. Parent's shouldn't meddle…" throwing his hands in the air, Axl exclaims loudly at her statement.

"Are you kidding me? You do Brick's projects all the time! You even did his paper route that one time he had that stupid job!"

Flushing out of embarrassment, Frankie shushed him before clearing her throat. "Fine! I'll do your stupid homework. What do I have to write and who is the classmate?"

"Thank you! _God! _It's to Sean, but you can't tell anyone, not even Dad, and especially not Sue!"

"Why not? It's not like they'll tell your teacher."

"Because! If Dad tells Sue, or if you tell Sue, Sue will definitely talk about it in school because she's dumb like tha-"

"Hey! Leave your sister alone!"

"-but it's _true!_ Anyway! That's not the point, the point is, she'll blab about it in school, and yada, yada, someone will overhear it and tell someone else and bam! I'll probably get detention, lose any chance of getting a scholarship for football to East Indiana State, and you will get in big trouble too and you know the teacher's don't like you to begin with! So **there**!"

With Frankie's mouth hanging open, trying to protest but finding it impossible, she instead decides to nod before walking away to start her given assignment. Before she disappears though Axl remembers to add specifics to his request. "Oh! And include something about being grateful that he's taking her to the dance and won't regret it or whatever." Waving her son off, Frankie decides to no longer ask him questions about the topic.

"Sweet! Whelp, that's taken care of for now…I'll simply bring it in to school on Monday and then I'll tell him to write a letter back with his e-mail, to make it look legit and then I can e-mail him until the dance! Perfect!"

"Ah…so that's why you were trying to write like a female. It all makes sense now. (Sense)"

"Brick! What were you doing there! When did you get there?" Startled, Axl fell over the arm of the couch and into the cushions. Brick had been sitting on the floor directly opposite of the couch, near the television. "Did you…did you hear everything?"

"Yup. And I'm sitting here because it's the cleanest spot in the house right now. It seems this television is sacred…(sacred)."

"_Ugh!_ Well, forget what you heard, and don't tell anyone!"

"But Axl, if I were to forget what I heard, how will I be able to tell anyone? That's being redundant. (Re-)"

"_Stop_! Stop whispering! Just do as I say, trust me, I'm not being a bad person, I'm actually doing a good thing, so don't screw it up, okay?"

"Sure Axl, I don't really care that you're tricking one of your best friend's with a fake love note. I just want to get back to my book."

Frowning, Axl turns away from Brick with the feeling that he really is a terrible person. He just wants to get a date for Sue, but why? When has he put so much effort into trying to make Sue happy? Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he thinks back to the times when, without thinking too much on it, he really did go out of his way for his little sister. Like the time he forced the couple to stop making out by her locker, or the time he pretended Sue's love note for Sean was actually his note for some girl. He laughs at this thought because now he's basically doing the same thing, just without either person knowing about it.

He thinks back to more times when he was unusually nice to Sue, or when he did things for her, like when he gave her his old football jersey to comfort her due to not making "ball girl" for the tennis team in her middle school. Or the time when she and arguably his father too, pushed him to try and work harder so he could get better grades. The optimism in her eyes had pushed him to get that B minus, and the smile he got from her was more than worth it.

"Axl…? Hey, Axl? You okay?" Looking up, seeing her somewhat concerned yet confused face, Axl realizes that he would do anything to make his little sister happy.

As long as no one knew about it, of course.

"Yeah, just _peachy_, now move, you're blocking my way!"

"Geez Axl, you don't have to be so mean! I have to go to the dentist anyway, Dad's taking me. I need to do something about this broken head gear." Frowning, she pulls at the metal contraception a bit before dismissing it. "Oh, and your homework is all done, it's on your bed…well, I think it's your bed, I really couldn't tell with how messy your room is! You know you should really-hey!"

Cutting her off, Axl brushes pass her, knocking her shoulder along the way. "Whatever. Thanks!"

Huffing, Sue merely shakes her head at her brother's behaviors before calling out for her dad to leave.

**XXXXX**

They get back late. Later then he would have liked. He wanted to talk to Sue about the dance, since he was worried that maybe, just _maybe_ she would find someone who would take her, and he didn't want to go through all this trouble for nothing. He was planning on telling her to stop looking, that he found someone, but that she couldn't know who it was until the night of the dance because the guy was shy. When his mother handed him the letter to Sean, he almost hugged her out of pure joy but restrained himself. Now all he needed was for Sue to just stay as Sue.

When he heard his dad's car pull up into the driveway, he felt like he was speed racer with how fast he jumped from his bed and dashed to the door. Composing himself before they came into the house, ignoring his brother's questionable look, he decided to play it casual by leaning against a wall.

All of Axl's musings over how to tell his sister to stop looking for a date did not prepare him for this. What walked through the door was not his sister. No, what walked through the door was someone entirely different, someone actually…dare he say it? Beautiful.

Among the gushing of his mother's voice, the pride in his father's voice, and Brick's compliments that sound like they came straight from the "how to compliment a girl" guide book, Axl was mesmerized.

Mike Heck must have taken his only daughter to get a make over. Sue's hair seemed to have been professionally done, washed nicely, and blown out expertly. Her eyebrows seemed to be plucked perfectly, and she had on a new change of wardrobe. A nice, not three sizes too big, pink dress. It was simple but fit well, not too tight and sexy but not baggy.

Of course, the biggest and best change of all was that when Sue smiled, he actually could see all of her smile. The braces were gone! The entire head gear! This is when he tuned in to what his family was talking about.

"-And, and! The Dentist said I didn't need it anymore, that it breaking was actually a good thing! He said that it was a _extremely _quick recovery! Dad was so happy that he didn't have to keep paying for braces he took me shopping!"

"Mike! That was so kind of you! I mean, I wish I could have gone too, but look at my little girl! Aww…come here you!" Hugging her daughter, Frankie stopped Sue's rant. Feeling the need to pick it up, Mike smirked and continued to boast about his generous feats.

"Yeah, and then next to the store we picked up this outfit from, there was a promotion going on for a free wash and blow dry, the only catch was that they wanted before and after pictures. They took one look at Sue and thought it would really show their skills to work on her hair and there you have it!"

Pulling away from her mother, jumping up and down with her usual crazy scream of delight, Sue stopped only to include the last stop on their list. "Oh! And the Salon also had eyebrow waxing, for only three dollars! I talked dad into it, since I know a lot of girls at my school do it! It reaaaaalllly hurts mom but look! Doesn't it look nice?"

"Yes, honey, everything looks wonderful! I hope you thanked your father!"

"Of course! I'll say it again though! Thank you Dad!" hugging him, Sue only pulled away when she noticed her big brother standing in the corner, silent.

"Axl! Did you see? Did you hear! Look! Don't I look pretty?" Doing a little twirl, smiling so brightly, Axl couldn't take it.

"Whatever, you like you always do, like a dork!" Confused, the family looked at him aghast.

"Hey, you apologize to your sister!" Mike took a step forward towards his son but Frankie's voice stopped him.

"Axl, what is wrong with you? Sue looks pretty! You should compliment your sister!"

Feeling trapped and uncomfortable by Sue's sullen eyes, he realized he needed a quick escape. "I'm out of here." Grabbing his jacket and storming out of the house before anyone could stop him; Sue flinched as the sound of the door behind her snapped shut.

**XXXX**

It was past his curfew. Exactly two hours past his curfew, Sue noted. After the initial excitement over Sue's transformation and aftermath of Axl's outburst died down, Frankie hugged her daughter once more for good measure before busying herself with kitchen chores. Mike patted his daughter's shoulder, the way he always does when he's at a loss for words, and Brick shook his head in their general direction before limping his way to his room.

The sound of him coming through the door so late at night would normally scare Sue, that is, if she hadn't been up waiting for him all night long. Sleepy, but still aware, Sue merely sat up straighter when Axl emerged.

He looked angry but with a hint of remorse. When he caught sight of Sue he jumped slightly before looking down at his feet. Standing up from the couch, Sue was prepared to give him a lecture about being out so late, wanting to fill in for her mother who was already sound asleep. When Axl turned to look at her though, she lost all courage. She knew deep down, something was different, something was _wrong_.

Sue was used to Axl ignoring her but growing up with him all these years, she knew how to decipher his levels of acknowledgement. Whenever she talked to him or about something loud enough in his general vicinity, he would always have three levels of interest. Level one, the best one, she believes, is when he actually looks at her, listens, and responds. Level two, is when he pretends to ignore her, doesn't look at her, but stays within hearing range to respond if he sees fit. Usually with a jokingly yet mean retort. Then there was Level three, this one was usually reserved for when he was angry at her. He would act as though she was invisible, say spiteful things about her loudly to someone else, like their mom or Brick, and walk away whenever her voice got "too annoying" for him. Still, at the end of the day, no matter what they bickered about, he would eventually look at her, smirk, call her by a mean name, and say sorry.

Yes, Sue could feel that this time, something was very wrong. He wasn't ignoring her or pretending she didn't exist. Based on that alone, she assumed he wasn't angry at her yet the way he was looking at her was as though…as though what? She couldn't quite figure out the word for it.

"Axl…what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Shifting on her feet, Sue felt strangely uncomfortable, now believing she should have never waited for Axl to come home.

"Sue. I have something to tell you, sit down and be quiet alright?" Moving towards his sister, Axl took a seat next to her, waiting for her to comply with his demand. A little confused but more curious than anything, Sue listened and sat down quietly.

"Listen, about the Spring Dance, you don't have to worry about finding a date…I found one for you." uttering out the last words, Axl expected to hear loud screams of joy and a billion questions to follow but when nothing came, he looked up at Sue in wonder.

Silently, Sue was watching him. Furrowing his brows, he tried to understand what was happening. Did she freeze from shock? Did Axl Heck break his sister? Her mouth opened slightly as though to say something, but soon closed. Reaching out his hands to shake her, he almost grabbed on to her shoulders before she stood up and jumped away from him.

"If this is supposed to be some kind of joke, Axl, it isn't very funny!"

"What…?" Lost, Axl fumbled around to stand up and calm his sister down. He didn't know why her reaction was that of anger, especially when she was just begging him the other night to get her a date. If anyone should be angry, it should be him! He just wasted a Friday night telling lies to get her a date, then a whole Saturday afternoon trying to scheme his mother into writing a love letter for his plan and then Sue goes and…and what? Becomes beautiful? Become worthy, appearance wise, for a guy like Sean? No lies or tricks needed?

"I don't know why you are acting so weird Axl but please just leave me out of it!" Storming off, Axl had little time to prepare for Sue's misunderstanding. Not knowing what to do, he contemplated just going to bed, forgetting the whole plan, and leaving his sister to fend for herself.

"I bet some jerk at school on Monday, who doesn't even know her name, or know a thing about her, will ask her out now, hoping to just score with her!" The thought angered him. He knew he couldn't allow that, knew that Sue would be so naïve and fall prey to jerks like his imaginary counterpart seems to be.

Begrudgingly making his way to her door, he knocked softly twice before waiting for her voice to allow him entry. When her voice never came, he opened the door hesitantly, hoping he wasn't about to walk into an awkward moment. Thoughts ran through his head of catching her changing, wailing into her pillow, making another poster of something weird.

But there she was. Sitting up in her bed, her back against the headboard, holding a small pillow in her arms looking not Sue-like at all.

"What do you want Axl?" her voice sounds tired, and it had every right to be. It's way past midnight. He can't remember Sue ever being up this late.

Sitting on the bed slowly, testing the waters, he made himself comfortable when she didn't kick him out. Picking up a teddy bear, he tossed it in the air a couple of times before he failed to catch it and it hit him square in the face. When he heard his sister giggle softly, he turned on his side to face towards her and felt a wave of relief hit him.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you mean it?"

A nod.

"Okay."

And that was it. That was all Sue ever needed. Things were always so simple with his sister. He knew he could be the worse brother in the world to her but she would still forgive him at the end of the day, still love him just as much.

"Sue, I'm really sorry." his voice is strained.

"I know, Axl. It's okay."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have been mean to you earlier today. I should have told you what I really felt when I first saw…you…uh-oh..." He had made a mistake, said too much. Sue's eyes started to light up and he knew she was expecting him to elaborate. "Don't get too excited, dork. I just meant that I should have told you, you know, that you looked different…in a good way!"

"Oh Axl!" Reaching over to hug him, he would have pushed her away if he hadn't been so exhausted. "Thanks Axl, that's very sweet of you to say!"

"Yeah, yeah." He could smell perfume, maybe she had bought it while she was out earlier or maybe he just never had the chance to catch such a close whiff. Whatever the case, he liked it. It smells like peach and is very soft, not overpowering like how girls from his school would wear theirs. Clearing his throat and his inner ramblings, he continued on to the matter at hand, pulling away from Sue's embrace in the process.

"Well, listen. What I was saying before, on the couch. It's true! I found a guy, and he wants to take you…but he's shy, okay? So you won't get to see him until the night of the dance. Is that okay?"

"Oh wow, really? That's so awesome! Thanks Axl! I can't wait to tell Carly!" Shaking his head, Axl once again had to be amazed at his sister's trusting nature. No sneaking suspicions, no lingering doubts, and aside from the initial telling about the date, to which she only thought he was being mean to her after his actions from earlier, she accepted what would otherwise be seen as fishy conditions, without questions.

"Yeah, well, don't spread it around school too much, okay? And keep your voice down; you're going to wake Mom and Dad." Nodding, Sue smiled at him before quickly frowning, noticing the time.

"Oh, Axl! Look at how late it is! I'm only up this late because of you! You know you should never stay out past your curfew! Where were you all this time anyway?"

"Geez Sue! Relax, and lower your voice down!" Moving closer to her, so his whispers can be heard, he noticed that despite Sue's makeover, she still had an entire wardrobe that needed to be destroyed. Like the fuzzy pajamas she was wearing currently.

"Oops! Sorry! But Axl…why did you storm off like that anyway? Why did you stay out so late?"

"Why did you stay up waiting for me anyway? Who are you, mom? Errr. Think again." Mimicking the sound of a buzzer, Axl wanted to ignore the fact that he felt happy that Sue stayed up so late waiting for him.

"Well, Mom was tired! And I was worried! So please tell me why you left?" Her voice becoming soft, Axl knew he couldn't refuse much longer.

"No reason, okay? Just having a bad day, or whatever. Like I said, I'm sorry, you know, for taking it out on you. Annnnnd. I guess, for worrying you. I just drove around, and went to a movie. Happy?"

"You went to a movie by yourself? Isn't that considered _uncool_? Especially on a Saturday night?"

"Yeah, well, Sean was there with some people so I just tagged along. Then we just went out for food and now I'm here! So enough with the third degree alright?" Still frowning a bit, Sue gave up with her interrogation, seemingly buying Axl's story.

"Sean was there?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Nothing. Sean Donahue is just very nice…is all." Glancing away, fidgeting, Axl gasp when he pieced it together. Pointing at Sue with horror he almost couldn't choke out the words.

"You still have a crush on Sean?"

"What? _Still_? You knew I had a crush on him before? Ahhh!" Alerted by Sue's scream, Axl instinctively threw himself on Sue, forcibly quieting her. Wide eyed and embarrassed, Sue laid motionless as Axl's weight knocked the air out of her. She knew her brother was strong, but the weight of him reminded her in that moment that Axl was a man. Feeling the entire length of his body pressed against hers made her blush and fidget under him.

Staring down at her, Axl tried to process the information he just obtained. It was one thing to get his friend to take his sister to the dance, he knew after his game was figured out the night of the dance that Sean would be too nice to leave his sister alone. It was another thing though, for Sue to still have feelings for Sean and then exploit those feelings with the possibility of them being reciprocated!

Time seemed to move very slowly as Axl tried to figure out what his next move would be. His thoughts came to a sudden halt though when his sister mumbled that he was crushing her. Maneuvering his body and taking the weight off her while still being half on top of her, he checked to make sure she was okay, his hand still over her mouth.

"Sue, I will remove my hand but only if you promise to stop screaming." Nodding, the young girl agreed and when he removed his hand she continued to comply. "Listen, it was obvious you had a crush on Sean since day one." Seeing the panic in her eyes, Axl placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her. "Don't worry, he doesn't know. And! He doesn't _ever_ have to know. Actually, stop liking him! Right now. Stop it." Pressing his index finger into the center of Sue's forehead, Axl tried to to force Sue to give up on all thoughts of Sean.

"What? How can you stop liking someone just like that?"

"I don't know, just do it." He deadpanned.

"Axl… it's not that simple." Shoving her brother's body off of her completely, Sue watches him as if she was the more mature and wise one.

"Yes it is! I wanted to stop liking Karen from Science Class one day and just like that! I did. See? It's easy." Falling back on to the small bed, Axl started playing with a fuzzy string that was sticking out of Sue's pajama top.

"Then that means you didn't really _like_ her, duh? When you really like someone-not saying that I really like Sean!" Axl gave her his signature "yeah right" look but she simply brushed it aside. "It's hard to stop. You can't help but think of them randomly throughout the day, and when you see them, your heart skips a beat. Sure, you tell yourself that you'll never be able to be with them and that there's no point in hoping but no matter what you do, you can't stop hoping. Can't stop looking forward to those few moments when you get to be with them, or near them… haven't you ever felt like that Axl?"

The fuzzy string lost its appeal as he watched Sue's face transform from his nerdy sister with her usual goofy smile to someone whose face showed such compassion and obvious potential to love like no other. Sitting up, refusing to think about how it may be possible that he felt those feelings before, and possibly still do, Axl decided it was time for bed.

"Sounds like being a stalker to me. Have fun with that, Sue. I'm going to bed, 'night!"

"What? Oh, fine! Night Axl! Don't come home so late again!" Chasing after him to close the door to her room, Sue was stopped short by Axl who was lingering at the door frame, looking torn.

"You know how I said you looked different, in a good way?"

"Yeah Axl?"

"Well, geez…I can't believe I'm saying this but, you look really good Sue. I almost forgot you had a pretty face under all those braces and messy hair."

"Axl…you really mean that?"

Embarrassed, Axl knew he had to make his escape unscathed. "Yeah well, you may look pretty but you're still a loser!" With that, Axl left to his room and Sue, after being speechless for a few seconds, turned off the light before fumbling to get into her bed, finding comfort under the warm sheets, mystified as to why she could not for the life her, stop smiling.

* * *

><p><strong>Pretty long chapter eh? I figured I owed it to everyone since I haven't updated in forever!<strong>

**I hope this will be a great update to make up for not having new episodes! Thanks so much everyone, for always reading and reviewing! Much love!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I just love these two so much, and wish that somehow they could be together on the show!**

**Alas, we know that is never to be. So thus, we turn to Fanfiction!**

**And we shall spread the word! I have just created the livejournal community for these two, and it needs lots of members, and lots of love! I want to create an AxlxSue theme but need to find a place to do that haha. Please check it out and join if you can!**

**axlxsue(dot)livejournal(dot)com (since FFnet doesn't allow links in stories, replace the (dot) with ".")**

**Enjoy, my lovelies.**

* * *

><p>It's Sunday, and with the Heck family that usually means a morning filled with running around, scrambling while trying to make it to church on time, falling asleep and then having a late brunch at a nearby place.<p>

"Okay everyone, remember to order only off the specials menu, and try to pair up! Get something you can share with the person next you!"

"But mommmmm! I'm sitting next to Axl, and he eats everything before I can touch it!"

"Not my fault you're slow!" he flicks a napkin he recently converted into a miniature football towards his father's open hands and cheers. "Goal! Yes!"

"I'm not slow, Axl. You're just a pig!" Huffing, Sue glowers at her brother for effect. In return, Axl motions towards her, sniffing her and starts to oink. "Gross! Get away from me! Mom! Dad!"

"Axl. Stop bothering your sister. And Share." Monotone, Frankie eyes the menu, deciding what to share with Mike.

"Mom? May I point out that there are five of us? That means one person will be getting a meal entirely to themselves. To me, that makes your demand seem unfair, especially since there is no easy way to decide amongst us." Pointing around the table for emphasis, Brick then places his head down to whisper his ending words.

Sighing, Frankie realizes that her youngest son just about started the beginning of a war. Undoubtedly, Sue and Axl were going to fight to be the "winner" of Brick's brilliant conclusion, Mike would try to shut them up, "punish" them by saying he will be the one to get a meal to himself, and Brick will claim he is a growing boy in need of nutrition.

"We all know who it should go to! I need to be strong to play sports and I need all the food to myself!"

"Yeah right Axl, I'm the captain of the Wrestlerettes, remember? I need food too! Plus, it'll make up for all the time I have gone _starving_ because for some reason I always sit next to you!"

"Now you two stop it! Neither of you are going to order a meal for yourselves with the way you are behaving, in fact, I'm going to order it for myself to teach you two a lesson, and heck, I pay the damn bill so I should be the one to decide!" His tone final, Mike slammed the menu down, signaling the waitress to come over.

"Dad, if I may, can I exercise the excuse that, as the youngest, I am growing at an astronomically slow rate, and in order to help move things along, I should be allowed the opportunity to have a meal to myself?"

"No, Brick, this discussion is over."

"Very well, then."

"Mike! You just turned down your own son that was asking for food to grow! Do you know how bad that makes you seem? Oh god, we're _horrible_ parents!" Burying her face in her hands, Frankie drones on about how they just came from church and are already sinning.

"You know what? Fine! Brick gets to order the meal for himself. Happy?"

"Yes! Thank you, Mike."

"Thanks Dad!" Nodding, Brick continues to survey the menu. "Now what should I get…"

"What? No! He's going to take forever to choose! This isn't fair! This is favoritism I tell you!" somewhat hysterical, Axl flips his menu as an act of rebellion, hitting Sue in the face.

"Ow! Axl! You just hit me with the menu!" Punching his arm, Sue rubs her nose with her free hand.

"Ow! Oh, C'mon! It's not my fault you are accident prone!"

"Alright you two, stop you're bickering. The waitress is coming and I want her to think we are a fully functional, happy family!" Turning from a glare at her children, Frankie then falsely smiles as the waitress draws near.

* * *

><p>Leaving the restaurant, Sue is starving, Axl is <em>still<em> hungry, Brick failed to eat everything on his plate, Mike is grimacing on how little he has in his wallet, and Frankie is just overall tired from it all.

"Alright, time to go home. Let's go!"

"Mom?" tentatively, Sue pulls her mother to the side. It's her first day out with her new look but she hasn't been anywhere to show it off yet. "I was hoping I could go to the mall today, I wanted to shop around. I wouldn't buy anything of course! Just thought it'd be nice to spend some time together."

Touched, Frankie smiled at her daughter's eagerness to go out, show off her look, and have her mother along for the ride. Unfortunately though, she remembered she promised to be available for Aunt Edie's call to come over and help her around the house.

"Oh sweetie, I wish I could…but I already have this afternoon planned. I have to help your Aunt Edie remember? It's been hard for her ever since Aunt Ginny passed away…"

"Oh…" visibly disheartened, Sue tried to stay positive. "I understand, really, no problem. I'll try and go with Carly during the week or something!"

"That sounds like a good idea. Now let's go."

Smiling, Sue walks around the car, preparing to get in when she finds Axl blocking the passenger door. "Axl, move."

Staying still, with his hands folded against his chest, Axl watched Sue for a moment before responding. "Listen up loser, I heard you ask mom about the mall thing and well, not that I want to be seen with you, but I have to go there to buy a new shirt after you destroyed the last one, remember? And, I guess, if you want, you can come with me."

"Really Axl?" elated, Sue is on the verge of squealing.

"Yeah, well, only if I get to drop you off a block away from the mall!"

"But…Axl…the highway feeds directly into the mall…"

"So?"

"Axl!"

"Fine!" pulling himself up, he opens the car door and waits. "Get in. We all took dad's car here together so we have to go back home first." Jumping in, Sue made sure to not mention that he held the door open for her, in fear that he would have slammed it shut before she got in. Moving in next to her, Axl frowns thinking on how he wasn't planning on buying a new shirt for awhile, wondering why he thought of the idea so suddenly.

* * *

><p>If anyone were to ask Axl if he was having a fun time with his sister at the mall he would, without hesitation, quickly answer in the negative and probably throw in a few mean comments about how lame Sue was.<p>

Luckily enough though, since no one was asking him, Axl didn't have to lie.

"Axl! Come quick! Look, it's a costume shop! Let's try on outfits so we know what we want to be for Halloween!" Running inside without waiting for her brother's response, Sue eagerly searched through the racks of clothing before her. "Ooo! Look at this one! I think it's a Viking Axl!"

With his hands in his pockets, Axl slowly trudged over to his sister's position and pretended to take interest in the costume she was pointing out. After embarrassingly yet oddly enough, amusingly, riding along side her on one of the malls moving toy machines, he being in a fire truck, and she being in a police car, he felt looking through costumes was a reprieve. "Yeah, Viking, _lame_. Where are all the cooler costumes! Like Assassins and Killer Robots!"

"Robots? How can they make a costume make you look like a Robot! We're Human Axl, we're not made up of wires!" Disappearing for a few seconds, Sue pops her head back out with another costume. "What about this? Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper! Oh! We can go as a pair!"

Snatching the costume from Sue with a crazed look, Axl places it back on the hanger and takes Sue's hand away from what he deems the _lame_ section. "No. Absolutely not. I would never dress up with you for Halloween. Here. What about this?" Picking up a _Scream_ mask, Axl hands it to his sister. "Now that you don't wear braces anymore you can put on a mask to cover up that mug you call a face! OH! BURN! The Ax man did it again!"

Undaunted, Sue simple pulls the mask off her face and smiles sweetly at her brother.

"Un-uh-uh Axl, _you_ called me pretty last night! Re-memmmm-ber? So that means I don't need a mask and you're just trying to be mean! But I know how you _really_ feel!" Skipping away, Sue exclaims over a childish custom as Axl sulks over his grave mistake from the other night.

Later, without knowing how or why, Axl is finding himself paying for two costumes. Sue's "They are on sale Axl, but only if we buy them together! We just _have_ to!" and her little pout probably had something to do with it, but he refuses to believe his sister has the power to persuade him to spend his money on such silly items.

"Wizard of Oz's Dorothy and Tin Man, how cute! I always thought they would have made a cute couple, I mean, I know she liked the Scarecrow best, or whatever, but he didn't need a heart! Tin man did! And who gave it to him?" Waiting for someone to fill in, the blonde cashier leaves her words hanging in the air.

"Dorothy did!" Sue finally chimed in after being lost for a moment.

"Exactly! You two are a cute couple, so I'm sure you'll pull these costumes off perfectly! That'll be thirty-one dollars and fifty cents please!" Oblivious to the embarrassment she has caused, the cashier looks at the pair in front of her confused.

Awkwardly, Axl backs away, his hands in the hair waving for awhile before pointing between him and Sue. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…you have it all wrong! Ew! Gross!"

"Um…" fidgeting, Sue is at a loss for words. At first, when the cashier referred to them as a couple so off-handedly, it didn't register to Sue that the she was speaking about her and Axl. Her brother. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, the first thing she could do was look down at her feet and try to calm her heart down. Sure, Axl is her brother, but that doesn't necessarily make her blind. She knows Axl is attractive, that a lot of girls wish to go out with him, even her own best friend, but she's never been mistaken as his girlfriend before!

She tries to think about why the misunderstanding makes her so happy and eventually settles on the idea that, due to her new look, she is now actually physically appealing enough to be considered a girl worthy of someone like Axl. She dares not think there is any other possible reason.

"Oh. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you two uncomfortable! You just look so cute together, running around the store, holding outfits up to one another, most of them being, well, couple costumes, I just kinda assumed…" glancing away, the cashier trails off, unsure how to continue.

"Yeah, well, we're not dating. So, here, take this, a twenty, a ten and two singles, and keep the change! Let's go Sue!" Grabbing the bags with the costumes in them with one hand and taking Sue's hand in his other, Axl drags her out of the shop to avoid any more awkwardness.

Once clear from the scene, Axl sits on a nearby bench. Feeling parched, he looks up at Sue. "Thirsty? I am. Go get us a drink."

"Um…Axl? What happened back there…"

"I don't want to talk about it Sue! The sooner I forget the less chance I'll have of having a nightmare! I mean, why did you make me buy that stupid costume in the first place!"

"You said you wanted to be a robot!"

"_Killer_ Robot. Not a Robot who walks around with two other losers all day and a small dog and a hallucinating girl! I don't even know if he really is a robot anyway! He's just made out of Tin, and the other half of his name is _Man_! Tin-_Man!_ Does that sound like a robot to you Sue? It sounds like a loser who just likes to dress up in tin to me!"

Exasperated, Axl huffs and leans back against the bench. Sue, confused as to why he's so angry when he seemed to be enjoying himself just a few minutes earlier, sits on the bench next to him.

"I'm sorry Axl, I thought you liked the idea. I thought maybe we could then go home, tell mom and dad, and then get Dad to dress up as the scarecrow, and Mom as the lion, and Brick as Toto. I thought it would be really cool…but if you think it's stupid, we can just return them."

Sighing audibly, Axl faces Sue with an agitated face. "Stop it Sue, stop…giving in to me like that! If this is what's going to make you happy, then you should fight for it! I'm not really angry about the costumes anyway, and I'll probably only wear the costume inside the house anyway…and only one picture! I know you'll want a family picture but just one!"

"Wow, Axl. That's really nice of you! Wait. Why are you being so nice…?" Leaning in, Sue pokes Axl and stretches some of his skin. "Are you an alien that replaced my brother?"

Laughing shortly before catching himself, Axl sits up straighter. "Yeah, right. I'm an evil alien, like in Revenge of the Pod Zombies! Boo!"

"Ah!" scooting away from him but quickly realizing a second later that her brother was just teasing her, Sue sternly reprimands him. "Not funny Axl!"

"Sue, Sue!" there is fear in Axl's voice but Sue tries to ignore it. "Sue! Okay, okay! I was just kidding before but there really is a zombie right behind you! Sue-Look out!"

Screaming her head off, Sue dives into Axl's open arms, which were currently open only because he was convincingly pointing behind her. Instinctively, Axl wraps his hands around Sue's frame as she huddles against him. Wanting to stay in this position but not being able to stop himself, Axl laughs out loud, loosening his grip and allowing Sue to sit up properly and yell at him once more.

"You're horrible Axl! I'm going to get that drink now thank you very much! I hope the pod zombies come take you way while I'm gone!" Storming off, Axl is left to place his hands on his stomach to prevent it from exploding due to his uncontrollable laughter. As he starts to sober up, he loses his smile as Sue's image blends into the crowd.

Minutes pass, and then another five minutes goes by, and Axl has given up on nodding towards hot girls that pass him by for entertainment. Where was Sue? Surely it couldn't be that hard to get a drink and come back. Standing up, Axl starts to panic. What if she got lost? Sue wasn't known for her great sense of direction. What if she bumped into someone accidently and they picked a fight with her? Sue was a klutz. Picking up the bags, Axl starts to head into the general direction Sue went off in, wishing that he had just gone with her instead of sending her off alone.

"Sue? Sue! Where are you?" Not seeing her within the first minute of searching, Axl starts to sweat. "Sue!"

"Hey, did you loose someone?" A security guard stationed by a jewelry vendor walks up to him, concerned.

"Um, no, I mean, I don't know. She just went off to get a drink, I should have never let her go alone!"

"Alright guy, calm down, how old is this girl, four, five? How tall?"

"What?" Confused, Axl shakes his head and starts focusing on the security card instead of searching his surroundings. "No. Sue's fifteen! Wait-never mind! I think I see her, thanks!" Running off, Axl leaves the annoyed security guard muttering under his breath about teenagers and how they can't stand to be apart for a second with their lovey dovey ways and rushes to Sue.

"Sue! Where have you been?" Slowing down as he was drawing near, Axl had to do a double take at the situation before him. There was Sue, his dorky sister, surrounded by three guys as they…were they actually _hitting_ on his sister? "Hey…What's going on here?"

Turning towards her brother, Sue beamed a smile in his direction before introducing him. "Axl! I was waiting on line to buy us drinks when these guys started talking to me about how bad the drinks were at that stand, so we came over here to "Juice Shack" and got some yummy smoothies! I know you don't really like healthy stuff, so I picked up a chocolate shake for you-here!"

Taking the drink numbly, Axl eyed the guys that were just standing off to the side, misplaced, and unwanted. "Sue…you can't just run off like that, I got really worried. And who are these guys?"

"Oh, sorry dude! We didn't mean to steal your girl away from you! My name is Chad." Holding out his hand for a few seconds but finding no-one willing to shake it, Chad in turn pointed to his buddies to continue introductions. "And this is Lee, and he is John."

"Johnnie. I like to be called Johnnie, but hey, what's your name?" Johnnie and Chad were taller than Axl and Lee was just an inch or two shorter. They all had tans and looked like they perused the mall for easy pick ups often.

"My name's Axl. Wait, did you just call her "my girl"?" _Not a second time today! What was wrong with these people?_ Wanting to shout this thought, Axl instead tried to keep his composure.

"Well yeah, isn't that why you're so mad she took awhile getting back? Anyway, like I said, sorry! But you should really keep an eye on a cute girl like her, someone will want to steal her away in no time, am I right boys?" Chad winks at his friends and they all chime in with agreeable laughter.

Sue, red in the face, moves towards Axl quickly, whispering her ignorance. "I'm so sorry Axl, I just wanted to get you a good drink! I didn't know they were…Oh. My. God!" raising her voice, her face scrunching up in a mix of realization, excitement and curiosity, Sue turns to the guys before her. "Wait, so you guys were actually, oh my god! Hitting on _me?_"

Confused, the guys looked at each other before slowly nodding. In response, Sue broke out her happy dance, and that was when the interest died.

Content, Axl watched with a grin as the guys backed away slowly, obviously mistaken as to who they were talking to. Sue, oblivious to their retreat and so caught up in her dance, was forcibly stopped only when Axl patted her should, encasing his arm around her and guiding her in the direction of the Mall exit.

"Wait! Axl, where did those guys go? I didn't even give them my number, how will they call me?" Struggling lightly, Axl sighs and just continues to push her forward.

"Oh, they can just look you up in the yellow book Sue, don't worry." Seeming to take his answer as truth, Sue settles into his hold and walks alongside him.

"Gee Axl, this is probably the best mall experience I've ever had!"

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't run off like that with strangers again okay? Mom will kill me if I lost you."

Smiling, Sue hesitantly watched Axl for a moment before gathering up all her courage to kiss him on the cheek lightly. "Thanks Axl."

Blushing, Axl doesn't look at her and loosens his hold on her, feeling warm all of a sudden and wanting space. Ecstatic that he didn't freak out, Sue truly deemed this to be the best mall experience ever. Probably the best time she's ever had, actually.

Right then, Axl hears someone shout towards them and sees the security guard. Not wanting to slow down and hurry out of the mall, Axl just waves at the guy.

"Glad you found your girlfriend! Don't lose her again!"

Sighing, Axl doesn't attempt to correct the misunderstanding this time, believing it to be okay, just for today, for everyone to believe that Sue Heck was in fact, his girlfriend. After all, it sure did put a weird smile on her face to be, for once, noticed, and Axl found that he rather liked Sue's smile.

"Hey, Axl? You never got a chance to buy a new shirt!"

Exiting the Mall and entering his car, Axl merely shrugs. "Eh. There was nothing good enough there, maybe next time yeah?" Nodding, Sue inwardly takes this as an implied invitation to go to the mall together again, and treasures the future opportunity.

* * *

><p><strong>Fluff, fluff and more fluff! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! My usual style of writing is to have one "filler" placing all the pawns in place chapter, one plot chapter, one happy chapter, and then one sad/dramatic chapter. So be on the look out for the next one! It's sure to make you hate me, haha! :) **

**Please review, my lovelies, and see you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Vacation is over and now it's time to get back to the every day grind of work! Sooooooo of course I'm going to procrastinate and write an update instead! :)**

**Hope everyone had a great weekend and please read and review!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Was this your plan all along…? To make me look so…stupid and <strong>alone<strong>? In front of everyone?"_

"_Sue…it wasn't like that…"_

"_How could you? I trusted you!"_

"_Please-wait! Just hear me out! I didn't mean to-"_

"_ENOUGH! I'm done listening to your excuses! I'm done…with you!"_

* * *

><p><strong>-Monday<strong>-

While everyone made the long dreaded walk back to the school, Sue and Axl were actually looking forward to the school week. Axl, happy to be away from their stuffy house filled with annoying parents and chores never to be done, was eager to get the note his mother had conjured up for him, on his behalf, to Sean, so that phase one of his plan could be fulfilled.

Sue, on the other hand, was excited to show off her new look to her friends Carly and Brad, and finally be able to possibly be seen with her brother at school, maybe to even sit at the popular table with him. Shaking her head at the insanely overly hopeful thought, Sue perked her head up when Axl parked the car and told her to get out right at the front of the school.

"Axl..? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, whatever. Least you're not a brace face anymore. Just hurry and go." Jumping out of the car, Axl swung his backpack over his right shoulder and slammed his car door shut. Making sure the car was locked, Axl then proceeded to enter to school, Sue running to catch up behind him.

"Hey… who's that? Is she a transfer student?"

"I got dibs dude!"

"Nun-huh! She can't be new, I work at the school office and didn't see any transfer students…where has she been hiding?"

"Ax man! What's up?" Darrin, gripping on to Axl's shoulders, gave his usual energetic greeting in the mornings. Axl, distracted by all the whispering guys around him, tried to pinpoint what they were so fascinated by but was distracted before doing so. "Hey, so, I was wondering if we can take your car out tonight to grab some pizza and then do so doughnuts in an empty parking lot! I have this big test tomorrow and I rather not think about it… what do you say?"

"Darrin. Are you crazy? That sounds like a dangerous idea!" Axl looking as though to reprimand, Darrin frowned at his friend, confused by his disapproval of the idea.

"Um…okay…I guess?"

Axl's face shifted from a frown to a grin as he punched his fist into his friend's chest. "Hah! Got you! Of course man! I'm down for that!"

"Man Axl! You got me that time!"

"Dude, I get you every time!" playfully punching a couple of more times, Axl broke away, curious as to where the third man of their group was. "Hey, where's Sean? I have something for him."

"Oh, he's in the Guidance Counselor's Office, apparently he needed advice on what back up colleges he should apply for; he said he would be really quick."

"Man, I didn't even know we had a guidance counselor…well, whatever, I guess I'll catch him later."

**Xxx**

"Well, alright Sean, I think you're all set! You have a wonderful GPA so I think you'll do find. Come back and see me any time!"

"Thanks Mrs. Marsh!"

"Just Miss! Ah…forget it. You're welcome!"

Waving at the weird woman, Sean plastered a bit of a confused smile before exiting the office. Crashing straight into another body, Sean scrambled to get up while apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there, are you hurt? Here, let me help you!"

"Ow…ah-ha, I'm okay, this happens to me a lot… don't worry!"

"Sue? Is that you?" helping her up, Sean took a second look over the girl in front of him and inwardly whistled. "Wow. You look…different. In a good way!"

"Really? Thanks Sean. Yeah, I went shopping and got my braces off, so I do feel a bit different!"

"Wow. Excellent. Well…I have to get going to class but, I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah…I guess when you come to visit Axl!" smiling oblivious, Sue didn't notice Sean awkward shuffle of his feet.

"Um…yeah, or maybe, I can stop by and just see you?"

"Huh? But why? I don't really play games or have a car…" Confused, Sue tried to think about why Sean would want to come by the house only to see her when Jane Marsh called out to her.

"Sue! Is that you? Did you get hurt?"

"Oh hello Miss Marsh! I'm fine!" Turning back to Sean, she waved goodbye before stepping into the office before closing the door. Turning away from the scene, Sean scratched his head in utter confusion.

**Xxx**

"Here, just take it. I got this note from your mystery girl and she told me to give it to you."

"Alright, cool man…hey, about your sister…"

"Excuse me! Do you two have anything you'd like to share with the class?"

"No ma'am!" Grabbing the paper quickly and shoving it into his inside jacket pocket, Sean tried to look as innocent as can be.

"Very well then, back to the lesson."

A few minutes had passed and when the coast was clear, Sean opened up the note and read what had to be the most girly letter he had ever read.

"Wow. This is…something. This girl must really like me huh?"

"Yeah, I guess, whatever. Anyway, there's her information, so you can e-mail her now so I don't have to play stupid messenger and go back and forth with you guys."

"Oh, yeah, cool, thanks Axl! I hope she's hot! Speaking of hot…did you know that your sister-"

"Mr. Donahue! Since you can't stop talking during class, may I suggest you come up to the board and solve this equation?"

Sighing, Sean got up from his desk among the snickers of laughter from his classmates to do as he was told.

**Xxx**

"Hey, Axl! Thanks for waiting! Sorry I took a little while but for some reason the wrestling team took longer to get started between the matches. They kept looking over at the Wrestlerettes and whispering among themselves. I think maybe they are trying to throw another surprise romantic gesture! Like Matt did to me! I think maybe Carl might have a thing for Ashley-oh! You don't mind right? I know you and Ashley went to prom together and-"

"_God_. Do you ever stop talking? Just get in the car woman! I have places to go!"

"Geez Axl, I was just making sure your feelings weren't going to get hurt!"

"My feelings? Sue- get a grip! I do not care about Weird Ashley! Those guys on the wrestling team are stupid anyway and were probably taking so long because they were trying to decide whether they should forfeit right then and there!"

"Wow Axl! You're being really mean right now! What happened?"

"Ugh! Why do you always have to get like this? Trying to figure out why I act the way that I do? Maybe I am just born like this? Just like you're born to be plain, stupid and ugly!" Immediately, Axl wanted to take back what he had said to Sue. It felt volatile while coming out of his mouth, but he couldn't stop himself from uttering those words. He had noticed throughout the day that guys were _looking_ at Sue. Noticing her. Sean trying to tell him that his sister was hot did not go unnoticed by Axl. He simply just wanted to ignore it but instead it was redirected into rage at his sister. His sweet, innocently oblivious sister who was now suffering from his unbridled jealousy.

Silently, Sue got out of Axl's car. Thinking she could dial Carly's house and ask for a ride, she tried to keep the tears from flowing at Axl's words. Just this weekend he had complimented her appearance, and just yesterday they had an amazing time at the Mall. So why was he being so cruel to her now? She couldn't help but think that maybe he had been bored and that was why he had been nice to her, and now that he was back at school and with his friends, his real feelings were showing on the surface.

Getting out of the car to follow his sister, Axl kicked himself for being such a jerk. Not really knowing what to say, he sighed and walked up to her. "Sue…listen, don't get so dramatic, just get back in the car and let's go home."

In disbelief, Sue glared at her older brother. "That's not an apology Axl!" Shutting her mouth quickly, she flushed in embarrassment as she noticed there were a good amount of kids from the school watching the display.

Huffing, Axl threw his hands into the air before staring at Sue. "Fiiiiine. Sorry. You happy now?"

"No! I'm not happy Axl! You don't even mean it! You're being such a jerk and for no reason!"

Reaching out to hold on to her arm, Axl tried to forcibly get her into the car. "Just. Get. In!"

"Hey! Axl…and Sue? What'cha guys up to?"

"Sean! Hey man, just trying to drop the dorky sister home so I can meet up with Darrin…like, now! Sue! We'll talk about this later, can you just get in the car!"

"No! Not until you apologize and mean it!"

Sean, looking between the two, smiled awkwardly before tentatively extending a suggestion. "Hey, if you're really in a rush and you guys seem to be…you know, fighting, my mom is here to pick me up and since we're neighbors, I'm sure she won't mind having Sue along for the ride. You down for that Sue?"

Flabbergasted, Axl tried to stop the cogs of fate that were turning. "Wait. No. It's fine-we're fine, really."

"Sean, that would be lovely. Thank you!" Placing her hands into Sean's arms forcibly, as though she were a high and mighty queen, Sue gave Axl a look of triumph before walking away with a confused Sean.

Left standing alone, Axl watched as his sister drove off with his best friend and feared what was to come.

**-Tuesday-**

The night before had been a blur. Quickly, Axl decided to forget about Sue and drive to Darrin's house but he soon found that only his body was there while his mind had stayed with the last image he had of Sue. Her face red and angry at him, her smile towards Sean, and her holding on to him as though she were his.

Darrin had asked him multiple times what his problem was but Axl neither responded nor reacted to the questions. His friend had called the quits on their night of fun and decided it would be best to actually go home and study for his test instead. Only when he offhandedly remarked that he wished Sean wasn't out with some girl and instead here with them did Axl perk his head up and inquire as to what Darrin was talking about. When he had found out that Sean had taken some girl out to get some ice cream, Axl put the pieces together and realized that he had taken Sue out on an unofficial date.

Quickly dropping Darrin off at his house, he rushed over to the ice cream shops he knew in town but could not find the seemingly new couple. Eventually having to return home, Axl waited for a good hour for Sue to get home, and when she did he almost yelled at her. When she refused to look at him, he realized that he had no right to be upset with her after the way he treated her earlier and instead left to his room, no longer seeing her for the rest of the night.

Now, the morning after, they still had not spoken, and Frankie had to drive Sue to school as Axl had left without saying a word.

Leaning against his locker, Axl tried to distract himself from the scene playing before him. Two guys were chatting Sue up, getting her name wrong and calling her "Sally", but all this was going right over Sue's head as she was just excited to be noticed finally.

"Hey, who knew there was a hottie under that?"

"Shut up Darrin."

"Hey, sorry man, just speaking the truth! I know she's your sister and everything but wow!"

"Darrin! Just Shut Up!" Putting his hands in the air defensively, Darrin backed away and started to head towards class. When Axl saw Sean walking towards Sue, he intercepted his friend and pulled him to the side.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"Hey Axl…what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! You know what I mean, you took _my_ sister out for ice cream last night! Friend's don't date other friend's sisters! Also! You were supposed to e-mail mystery girl last night!"

"Oh, sorry man…I was going to e-mail, I promise! I just got distracted with house chores and then homework- and I got back late because, yeah, I took your sister out for ice cream but it wasn't a date, I swear!"

"Oh yeah? Then what was it then?" Poking his finger into his friend's chest, Axl started to realize that his aggressive behavior towards the situation was becoming over the top and he had to remind himself to calm down.

"She was just really sad okay? She said she couldn't stand being home right at that moment and that you had made her really upset. At first I was going to have her talk to my mom since your mom was still working but you know my family can be really loud and listen in on everyone's conversation…so I just took her to get some ice cream to cheer her up! I didn't see any harm in it bro."

Silent, Axl was at a lost for words. Sean had always been this really great guy, he knew this and at times, envied him for it, but to think that he would go above and beyond for his sister out of the sheer kindness of his heart made him feel worse about the situation, and himself.

"What…did she tell you?"

"Ah… I don't know if I should say anything man. You know, girl's really trust in that whole secret stuff."

"Dude!"

"Alright, alright." Checking his surroundings, Sean leaned in sneakily and relayed what information he uncovered during his outing with Sue. "She said she had just started to feel better about her image and that you made her feel really bad about herself but that she was confused because you had been nice to her all weekend." Standing up straight, Sean waved to a teacher before lowering his head to continue. "She also said she was hoping that you'd finally wouldn't be so ashamed to be seen with her and that maybe she could have lunch with you this week. That was about it really, she went on about some guy named Matt and how she thinks she'll never find love again but I lost track of what she was saying because she screams a lot and talks really fast."

Frowning, Axl nodded and thanked Sean for the information. Knowing he had to make things right with Sue, but not really knowing how, Axl spent the rest of the day avoiding her, worried that he'd only anger her more if they ran into each other prematurely, he tried to come up with the perfect plan during class.

When he went to his car at the end of the day, thinking that he could apologize to her within the confinements and privacy of the vehicle, then take her wherever she wanted to go to make it up to her, he grew worried when she didn't show up after a half-hour. Seeing Brad come out, sweaty and…happy, was the only word Axl could think of to describe the guy, Axl started to panic.

"Hey, Brad, where's Sue?"

"Oh! Axl! Don't you look awesome in that jacket of yours! Sue went home early! Didn't you know? Your mom came to pick her up, she said she wasn't feeling well."

"Oh. Yeah. Right, forgot about that. Alright…thanks!"

"No problemo mi amigo! And remember! Don't text and drive! You'll die a horrific death!"

Shrugging the boy's words off his shoulder, Axl got into the car quickly and drove home.

**Xxx**

"Mom? Sue? You guys here?"

"Axl! Oh thank god you're home! I can still make up two hours of work, can you watch Sue? She wasn't feeling well so I had to pick her up from school. I'll be back at five! Thanks!" Running outside the house, Frankie left the door open as she jumped into her car and sped down the street.

Walking towards Sue's room, Axl softly knocked on her door before going inside. "Sue?" when an angry mumble was his reply, he smiled before sitting on a chair adjacent to her bed. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Go. Away. Axl."

Rolling his eyes, Axl smacked what he thought was her foot under the covers.

"Ow! That's my head!" Pulling the covers back, Sue revealed herself to be upside down on her bed. Hey face inches from Axl's, she blushed when she noticed their close proximity and awkwardly tunneled back under her covers for protection.

"Sorry. Actually, sorry about what I said yesterday Sue. I didn't mean it."

"You embarrassed me in front of a lot of classmates Axl- and in front of Sean too! You're going to have to do better than that!"

"Oh please! Sean hardly cares and all those people probably don't remember who you were! If anything, _I'm_ the one that should be asking_ you_ to apologize for embarrassing me!"

"There you go again! I knew you didn't mean it! Just get out of my room Axl! I'm never talking to you again!"

"Oh, please Sue, you know that never works!" when silence was his answer, Axl frowned. He never liked when Sue gave him the silent treatment, it always unnerved him for some reason.

"Sue, cut it out. Just get over it already. Why are you making this into such a big deal?" Waiting impatiently, Axl tugged on the covers that hid his sister from view, trying to reveal her form. "Stop being a child Sue!" When her strength surprised him and she wouldn't relinquish control of the covers, Axl threw his hands in the air and gave up.

"You know what? Fine! See if I care! It's a blessing to have you never speak to me again!"

Storming out of the room and slamming the door shut, Axl missed the sounds of Sue's soft sobs.

**-Wednesday-**

He was starting to like not having her next to him in the morning. He liked that he didn't have to hear her annoying voice sing along to annoying teen pop music. He loved having his car to himself, being able to do whatever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to.

Axl felt that things were going well when he got home that day after not speaking or interacting with Sue throughout the entire school day. He didn't even react when Sue tripped in the hallway, knocking down two senior students along the way, or when her hair got caught in a locker and caused her to slam back into said locker. He didn't even notice her glance from across the lunch room and how sad she looked when he broke her gaze. Yup, things were so good he almost forgot about the scam he had befallen unto his friend.

Sean had started e-mailing Axl's fabricated girl, and with each exchange of e-mail, Axl had started to become all the more grossed out and uncomfortable with the things Sean was writing to him. How was he supposed to respond to "You're really sweet and I can't wait to look at your beautiful face while I hold you in my arms"?

Typing out some overly exaggerated mushy words to send back as a reply, Axl then felt it best to make some food. He pondered why he was still even going through this elaborate ruse for Sue, on account that she no longer existed to him but before he could figure out a reason why he heard a car pull up outside the house. Peering through the window to find the Donahue's dropping Sue off once more, and seeing her wave with a smile to Sean made his stomach lurch for a moment, but he then decided it was due to being hungry and finished making his sandwich. Expertly avoiding her as he dashed into his room, Axl was determined in the belief that he did not need Sue to occupy his day.

**-Thursday-**

He was starting to miss having her next to him in the morning. He disliked that he didn't have her voice to wake him up before class, and found that annoying teen pop music was much more bearable when she sang along to it. He hated his car now, because all it did was remind him that he had nothing better to do, now that Sue wasn't with him.

When he asked for someone to pass the orange juice in the morning, knowing that it was right by Sue's hands, but no orange juice came, he knew he was going to have to try harder to get Sue to interact with him. After changing into clothes and finding his schoolbag under a pile of random unmentionables, he waited outside by his car, pretending he was busy with his phone, hoping Sue would ask for a ride. When she didn't show for ten minutes, realizing they were going to be late, he ran inside, feigning that he forgot something, only to find she had already left with the Donahue's.

Grumbling throughout the entire drive to school, Axl ignored Darrin's usual greeting and went straight to Sue's locker. Seeing some random guy talking to both her and Carly almost made him snap, but breathing out slowly, he calmly walked over to the trio.

"Hey buddy! The principal's looking for you! Not lookin' to good, better hurry up and get goin'!"

Confused, the tall sophomore nodded and walked away, leaving Axl with the two females. Turning towards Carly and her doe eyes, he sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Why don't you do me a favor and get me something to drink, anything is fine. Thanks kid."

Risking a quick glance at Sue, Carly then nodded eagerly and dashed off towards the cafeteria. Sue, frustrated at Axl's ability to make her best friend a slave, closed her locker hard and started to walk away without a word.

"Sue! Wait!" Pulling her aside as the throngs of students rushed to get to their class, Axl wanted to keep his apology as secret as possible. "Who was that guy? I hope you're not taking him to the dance because you already have a date remember!"

"Axl! I wouldn't do something like! Anyway that was Carly's date Eric! Ugh. Just go away. I'm not even supposed to be talking to you." Trying to maneuver out of his grasp, Axl held on to her a little firmer, forcing her to look at him.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry okay? Can you forgive me now? It's annoying having you angry at me."

Softening up a bit, Sue then shook her head sadly. Reaching up to break his grasp on her, she then pulled away from him. "You just don't get it, do you Axl? You embarrassed me in front of so many kids at school; on a day when I felt my prettiest…telling me you're sorry like this, it just isn't enough. I…have to go to class."

Walking away, running into Carly who was about to bring Axl a milk carton, she pulled her friend into a nearby classroom, leaving Axl alone in the hallway to think about Sue's words.

**Xxx**

Throughout the first half of the school day, Axl had thought long and hard as to what Sue had been talking about. He hadn't really considered the fact that their little display the other day had been publicly embarrassing for Sue. Wasn't she used to public embarrassment by now anyway? Why was this one so different? He thought about what Sean had confided in him, after he took Sue out for ice cream. Something about being ashamed of her and having lunch together…?

Snapping his hands and kicking his feet on the ground after having his epiphany, Axl knew what he had to do to have Sue forgive him. He just had to get through reading some old English text as a form of punishment for disrupting his class first.

**Xxx**

It was lunch time and Darrin and Sean were hovering over him annoyingly. He wanted to make this as painless as possible but knew somehow or another he was going to go down hard for this. Debating whether or not he should go through with his plan, his doubt ceased to exist when he saw her walk into the cafeteria, unsure of where to sit. Her quick glance towards his table, and then the duck of her head gave him all the motivation to stand up.

"Hey Axl, where you going? You know they won't give you seconds! We tried that before!"

"Darrin, shut up for a sec. And make room, someone else is going to sit with us." Leaving the table, Axl started to walk towards Sue, every intention on making things right with her. He found it perplexing as to why he was so nervous, and why his palms were starting to sweat. Looking around at the cafeteria, he wondered how many people were going to notice his gesture but soon realized he didn't care.

When Sue caught sight of Axl coming towards her, she looked to both sides of her and behind her before realizing that his small smile was for her. Starting to smile herself, she took a step forward before being blocked by long red hair.

"Axl! There you are!"

"Chelsea…what? Uh…hey!" Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, Axl tried to avoid eye contact with the girl in front of him who was unfortunately his forgotten girlfriend.

"Axl…what was up with you last Friday night? You didn't dance with me at all…and then you didn't call me all weekend and we haven't even talked throughout school this week! At first I thought you were playing hard to get, and so I wanted to play hard to get right back- but you weren't calling me…so I started getting worried that you wanted to break up! That's not true, right Axl?"

Sue, watching the scene unfold before her, started to back away from the dysfunctional couple, feeling as though she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Uh...Chelsea, actually, I did want to talk to you about…us, and- ah! Sue! Hold on!" Moving around Chelsea, Axl jogged to reach Sue before she disappeared among the crowd.

"Axl…you should really talk to that girl, whatever we have to talk about, we can do it later at home, you know, when no one is watching…" glancing around at some of the kids that were now interested in what Axl was doing, Sue then tried to leave again.

"No, wait. This is important. Trust me. I just wanted to-"

"Axl! Who is that girl? Why have I never seen her be-oh wait! You're that new transfer student right? The pretty one? What are you doing around Axl? Oh. My. GOD! Axl! Are you leaving me for her?"

"You think I'm pretty…?" Sue, distracted by the compliment, failed to realize the situation she was in. Axl, feeling as though nothing will ever go right for him, became flustered.

"Uh yeah! Wait! I mean no! Chelsea. Ew. What I'm trying to say is…yes, I'm breaking up with you. But not because of her- Sorry, but I just think that we are better apart and-ow! That hurt!" cradling his recently slapped face, he watched as Chelsea stormed off with her two girlfriends and grunted at the giggles in the lunchroom towards his plight.

"Axl! That look like it hurt…here, let me see it." Taking his left cheek into her hands after placing her lunch tray on a nearby table, Sue examined the slap and laughed a little. "She got you good. You could have been a little nicer when breaking up with her Axl…but I think you'll survive. I can ask for some ice from the lunch lady, or the nurse! They both know me pretty well…well, kind of, they keep calling me Sally but they at least know my face now and-"

"Sue…be quiet." His voice was almost a whisper as he shook his head and pressed his index finger against her lips. Quickly realizing the very public intimate gesture he instead grabbed Sue's hand into his. Silently, he guided her towards his table. Sean smiled and gave a gesture of greeting towards Sue while Darrin looked around confused. "Here. Sit with us today and stop being angry at me, okay?"

Shocked, Sue stood still while trying to register what was happening to her. "You mean…you're alright with me sitting at the cool table with you? In front of all your friends?" Her voice was starting to rise and Axl prematurely flinched in preparation for her excitement.

"Yeah. Whatever. Just for today though!"

"Ahhhhh!"

"What the hell was that?"

"Was that a bat?"

"Bats? Where?"

"It's light out doofus! No bats to be found here!"

"Then a bobcat!"

"Are you retarded?"

The cafeteria was in a buzz trying to figure out where the loud sound came from, causing both Axl and Sue to laugh. Sitting down next to her brother, Sue frowned when she realized she had left her tray over by where the confrontation between him and his now ex-girlfriend took place. Axl, noticing that she didn't have any food with her, silently slid his tray over to her.

"Take some. I'm not really hungry today anyway."

Smiling, Sue reached over and started to pop some fries in her mouth. "Thanks, Axl." Nudging him in the arm, she continued to eat happily at the cool table, only stopping to wave excited at Carly in the distance and point to her surroundings before giving a firm nod of acknowledgement towards her best friend's silent question.

While Sue was distracted with playing Ms. Mime with her friend, Sean leaned over to whisper to Axl. "Hey man, so does this mean you guys worked everything out?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Cool bro! Hey listen, about that girl I've been e-mailing…she's really cool! I wish I could see a picture of her. Maybe I can sneak a peak of her, like, when she goes to her school or something?"

"Uh…yeah, maybe."

"Cool."

"Axl! Look! I'm a walrus!" placing two fries on the front of her teeth, Sue started to make ridiculous non-walrus like sounds, causing Axl to shake his head in dismay. "This is so fun! I never got to do this before because of my braces, but now I can!"

Realizing that his sister could be so happy and grateful over the simplest of things, like being a pretend walrus or sitting at the 'cool' table beside him made Axl endure the embarrassment silently. Darrin, who was still confused soon got up and left, Sean following soon after.

Eventually, the cafeteria started to clear out, leaving the two of them and some stragglers behind.

"I don't ever want to get up from this seat Axl." Whimsically, Sue started to trace the lines etched into the table before her.

"Why not? Don't you hate being late for class?"

"Yeah but…I know that when I do get up, all this will be gone. When tomorrow comes, I'll be back to sitting in the back table that's closest to the cafeteria food and garbage cans. When tomorrow comes, you'll go back to pretending like you don't know me."

Rolling his eyes and throwing his head onto the table, Axl once again felt that he could never win.

"Oh Axl! I'm sorry! I'm not trying to be ungrateful or anything. I really am happy that you let me sit next to you during lunch today…I'm just going to miss it, is all. I'm going to miss getting to hangout with you in school."

"Sue…"

"Don't worry, I'm already so happy you let me go to your games sometime, it's really nice of you. I know it's hard for you to be nice to me, so I do appreciate it! I guess I can get a little carried away and take advantage though…I'm sorry about that. I just have so much fun I don't want it to stop. It's so easy for you Axl, to be so cool, to fit in so well. It's so hard for me…I always say the wrong things, or wear the wrong clothes, I wish I was more like you, I guess."

Speechless, Axl watched as Sue stood up from the table, prepared to leave the cafeteria. Wanting to reach out, but not knowing what to say, he merely tugged on her long sleeved pink shirt, silently begging her to give him time to come up with the right words to placate her heart.

When no words came though, Sue smiled softly and walked away. All the while, he was starting to wonder why his sister had this penchant for leaving him alone and feeling bad about himself.

**-Friday-**

"Axl, can you drive your sister to school today? Nancy Donahue told me that they have been driving her for the past few days and I don't want word getting around the neighborhood that I leave my daughter to the mercy of strangers! I don't know what's going on with you two, but whatever it is, make up and drive her!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Sue! Come on, we're going to be late!" Grabbing a sandwich from the road, he waved to his father who was just getting ready to leave.

"Mike, don't forget that Brick has that parent teacher conference today, and I'm going to be at work until really late tonight so I can't go."

"Frankie. You know I don't do those sorts of things."

"Well tough luck buddy, you have to." Kissing her husband on the cheek, she left the house to end the discussion. Sighing, Mike looked to Brick who was slowly walking over to him.

"Alright kiddo, let's go. Axl! Don't leave too late!" Leaving the house with his youngest son, Mike left Axl and Sue to their own devices.

"Ah! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I couldn't find my homework and I was looking everywhere for it! It's missing! But I guess I'll just ask the teacher if I can do some sort of make-up homework so we won't be late."

Watching Sue, Axl noticed she was wearing a very attractive top, despite her purple pants. Her hair had started to fall back into the usual frizziness but whatever treatment they gave her hair at the salon seemed to still make it shine.

"You know, I have a test today I didn't study for."

"So?" Deadpanned, Sue waited for Axl at the door. "Axl, come on, we're going to be late."

"What if, we didn't go to school today?"

"What? Axl. Come on. Stop joking around." Opening the door, Sue started to walk to the car. Catching up to her, Axl leaned against the passenger side door and jingled the keys in front of her.

"The bus already left and I'm the only way you're getting there, so why not just skip it and go with me somewhere else."

"What? What are you talking about? You're being weird."

"Hey, that hurts. I'm offended Sue." Faking a frown and placing his hand on his chest, Axl then started to walk to the driver's side of the car. "Just trust me okay? You already won perfect attendance once, you can do without it this year."

"I don't know Axl…what if mom and dad finds out?"

"They won't. We'll get home before them, they'll be out late remember? We'll delete the phone messages and forge notes. The plan is fullproof!" Starting the ignition, Axl revved up the car as a sign for Sue to get in with him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Jumping into the car, Sue's guilt left her when Axl sped off down the street with a smile as he sang along horribly with her to teen pop music.

* * *

><p><strong>That's it for this chapter! It wasn't as dark and gloomy as I thought I was going to make it out to be- I guess it'll be hard to do so with these two because they are so young and childish! <strong>

**Next chapter should be about their day off together playing hooky! To my loyal and lovely readers out there- throw some ideas my way as to what you would like to see them do on their day off! I promise to pick one idea out of the reviews to put into my story!**

**After that should be a chapter about getting ready for the dance since it's 3 weeks away, setting it up- maybe Sue will be on the committee- and of course, looking for a dress!**

**I hope you guys liked it and please review if you have the time! I'll try to update as soon as possible!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've been horrible and no amount of apologies could ever amend how long I took to update this story! When The Middle went on hiatus I got caught up with my manuscript for _Just Smile_, and then the holidays hit! It just never seemed like an opportune time to sit down and write but here I am, finally writing about their day off!**

**I'm going to end this story a little sooner than I thought. I expected the dance to be about 3 weeks away (3 or 4 chapters until) but I'm actually going to make it 2 weeks away. So maybe one more chapter in between before the dance chapter reveal! Obviously there is a lot more to the story than just the dance, so in total, I hope to have at least 4 more chapters before it ends!**

**Thanks for all the reviews, really made me smile and motivated me to continue! As I promised, this goes to x4ashes4ashes for her idea about the skipping location!**

_Before I realized it, I had spent a couple of hours thinking about you._

_And after it was far too late, I had fallen in love with you._

**X**

**The Skip. **

**X**

It was an early Friday morning and Sue Heck was not in school and not at home sick. Needless to say this was a first for the girl, though this could not be said for her partner in delinquency, Axl Heck.

"So where are you taking me anyway? We can't go anywhere near mom or dad's job or anywhere near the school because they might be looking for us… oh my God Axl, I don't know what I was thinking! Maybe if we go back right now and say that I was feeling a little sick it'll be okay!"

"Enough Sue, relax. You jumped in this car and agreed to go because somewhere deep inside you, you want to take a little risk. So just sit back and enjoy. I have a place in mind for us."

Hesitant to reply for fear that he may be right; Sue didn't dwell on the possibilities of having a deep-seated need for danger and instead chalked up this risqué move she made due to peer-pressure. She made a mental note to contact Brad so that they could come up with a skit about the dangers of peer-pressure, possibly using this real-life experience as an example.

**X**

Vibrant yellow like hues and cul-de-sac paths. The endless blue sky whirled around with breathable clouds desperate to take shape. Like a funnel she felt like she had been sucked in to this spot, a destined place where there was no escape, and no need to want one.

"Axl…this place. It's beautiful." Gently touching the tip of a sprouting corn, Sue pulled her hand back and placed it on to her brother's shoulder. "How did you find this place?"

Shrugging his sister's hand off his shoulder, Axl looked around before digging into his pocket and pulling out a ripped out advertisement. "I found it in one of mom's magazines."

Looking at the picture and information, Sue looked at Axl perplexed. "When did you have time to rip this out? Didn't you decide to skip school just this morning…and it says this place is ideal for…oh, um, nevermind… I guess you didn't read it all."

Watching her silently for a moment, he stole the advertisement back and glanced at the lines he had seen last night. "Who said I planned this last minute?"

"But… I mean, why wouldn't you?"

"Why must you question everything Sue? Why can't you just enjoy it for what it is?" Walking away, Axl stopped when he didn't hear her footsteps following. Turning back around, he gestured for her to follow him before continuing forward.

"I never thought we had a cornfield so close by, it's like a whole other world. I mean, I know we live in a quiet farmland kind of state but still…"

"Yeah well it's not like mom and dad ever takes us anywhere…"

"Haha, you're right Axl!" catching up to walk directly beside him, Sue smiled contently as they walked throughout the maze like cornfield. After a few moments, Axl started slowing down. Snapping his fingers, he made a sharp right and pulled Sue along by the arm wordlessly, which greatly confused the girl. "Axl, what are you doing?"

"It should be just up this way. Ah! There it is!" Stopping quickly, Axl pulled Sue in front of him, holding her frame gently in place. In front of them was a beautiful small pond where small birds and frogs nestled on lily pads.

"Wow…Axl this is…wow…"

Smirking, Axl boasted about how good he was at taking girls out on epic dates before he could stop himself. As the birds chirped softly into the ensuing silence, Sue turned around slowly within Axl's arms.

"Axl?" Sue gulped before continuing. "What do you mean by that? A date? Did you… I mean…did you mean to take me here on a date?"

Pulling away, Axl wanted the world to swallow him up right then and there. Pulling himself together, knowing he had to think quickly on his feet, he stepped away from her and threw his hands in the air. "Of course not stupid! That's so wrong! Me? Take You? On a date? You got to be kidding me. Even if you weren't my sister that's still a whole new low."

"Oh…" turning back around, opting to watch the pond instead of her brother as she forcibly choke back the tears forming, Sue couldn't understand why his words hurt more than they usually do.

Gesturing wildly behind her, Axl could not believe the messes he continued to get himself into. Last night, after everyone had fallen asleep, he had thought about how Sue wanted to stay in the cafeteria longer and ultimately to spend more time with him. He wracked his brain trying to come up with a way to make her smile like she did when he invited her to sit at his table and couldn't think of anything when he sat on his mother's magazine.

Normally, Axl wouldn't be caught reading one of her silly magazines but when the cover advertised a place that girls would love to go to he quickly opened up to the page that spoke about the cornfield they were currently visiting. Ripping out the advertisement, he read on about how beautiful and quiet the place was and almost instantly thought it would be perfect for Sue. The sentence "perfect to take your girl on a date" did not go unnoticed by Axl, instead he subconsciously smiled at the idea at the time and all but forgotten about it until Sue noticed it too.

Now, Axl was once again about to make his sister cry. Battling with his confused feelings, he had to wonder why he thought taking her here was a good idea to begin with. His slip of being amazing at taking girls on dates and his smile at the thought of taking Sue on one gave him a bittersweet feeling. Try as he might, he could no longer fight the fact that he had feelings for Sue, his sister. Though, the type of feelings they were he wasn't sure of yet, but feelings were definitely present.

"Sue…" The shine on her hair subtly reflected the light that bounced off the translucent water. He could almost make out her appearance but the reflection would disperse every time a tear trickled into the pond. Soothingly, he placed his hand on her arm, as his free hand entangled itself in her hair. Closing his eyes briefly, he figured maybe some part of him was rational and trying to stop what was happening but in the end his entire being wanted this more than he's ever wanted anything before. When he gently spun her around and her eyes widened at the realization of what was about to happen, he was sure that there was no going back.

He wasn't aware that she had started using strawberry chapstick until this very moment. He couldn't help but compare her lips to those of the many cheerleaders he's kissed before. Most used regular lipstick, going the mature route, and it had been probably since junior high school since he's last tasted chapstick on a girl's lips. Either way, he found that he rather liked that Sue didn't have on lipstick. It reminded him of when they were young, and when things were simple. Back when he never really cared about being cool or how dorky his sister was, or wanting to grow up fast and become an adult. In this moment, Sue transported him back to a time when he didn't care who saw him hanging out with her and didn't try to hide the fact that he loved her contagious smile and how goofy she was.

She was the one to pull back first. He was almost afraid to open his eyes and to see her face. Anticipating a slap, he tried hard to think about whether she had kissed him back or if she had been too shocked to do anything, even move away.

When nothing came after a minute or two, he carefully opened his eyes to see her standing there staring at him blankly. Worried, he tentatively waved his hand in front of her face and breathed out in relief when she blinked slowly.

"Listen! Sue. About what just happened? I just… you know, it just sort of happened. I don't really know how to comfort girls other than kiss them…yeah, that's it! So, you were crying and I kissed you so you could stop…and please don't tell mom or dad, okay?"

Motionless, Sue stood there. Her purple pants, tacky and out of place, was the only thing that shattered any hope that this moment was not real. Getting freaked out, Axl reached out to grab her shoulders and shake her. "Sue! Say something!"

Seemingly coming out of her stupor, Sue focused on Axl before pushing him away.

"Axl… you just…you just kissed me! Oh my… Axl!"

"Geez! Don't yell! You just scared all the birds away!"

"Axl! You're my brother! I'm your sister! That's not…something brothers and sisters do!"

"I mean in some places actually…"

"Axl!"

"Alright, alright! Sorry! Okay? Just forget that it happened!"

Shaking her head, Sue refused to. "I won't. I can't!" Breathing in deeply, Sue lunged for Axl's pocket and took out the advertisement. Bringing it up to his face, she forced him to answer her questions. "You planned this before this morning. You…brought me here for a reason! And you kissed me…not just because you didn't know what to do Axl…but because you wanted to!"

"Just forget it Sue. It was a mistake bringing you here, alright? I just wanted you to stop being sad and thought this place was a good idea. I obviously was wrong, so let's just drop it."

"Why do you care so much all of a sudden? You never use to before."

Sighing, Axl started walking away, throwing his hands up in dismissal. Chasing after him, Sue didn't give up, constantly demanding an answer. After they had gone so far that Axl couldn't figure out where the exit was, he had stopped to look around. Sue, ignorant that they were lost, was relentless in her questioning.

"Sue! Shut. Up! We're lost. Now try to figure out where we came from."

"Me?! This was your big great plan!" Lowering her voice to mock him, Sue continued. "Oh Sue! Let's skip school. Let's go to this cornfield. Let me make you cry and then let me kiss you for no apparent reason!"

Frustrated, Axl threw his hands in defeat and spun towards Sue.

"Enough! Okay?! I get it! I messed up! I always mess up! What do you want from me? I'm not perfect and everyone knows you're far from perfect too! At least I tried right? Like you always do? Just like good ole sue, trying despite knowing she will always fail at everything! I just…I don't know okay? I just couldn't take you crying anymore because of me."

Looking as though she wanted to say something, Axl stopped her with a raise of his hand.

"You finally started getting noticed by other people and I was just so use to having you to myself, in a sense. You don't know how _beautiful _you are Sue, even before all this. With the hair and the new clothes and lack of…" gesturing to her general face, Axl continued. "Braceface."

Sue smiled bashfully, unsure how to take all of what Axl was saying. "You never really stop smiling, even when things get really bad. You always think of others, even me, and I'm so mean to you. I don't know when it started but it never should've to begin with. I'm sorry Sue, I really am. Something has come over me lately I guess, and I have just been feeling really weird lately, and you know, I don't like to think too much about anything, especially this, but I don't think I really have to…it just makes sense to want to be nice to you now and to…"

"Kiss me?"

Silent, Axl nodded, afraid to say anything else. Pensive, Sue thought about all of what her brother had to say, trying to understand all that has happened and her feelings in regards to it. Subconsciously, she brought her fingers up to her lips. She thought about Matt and how she felt when they kissed and was in awe at the realization that it was nothing compared to what she felt when Axl kissed her.

"Sue, please say something…"

"So you didn't just kiss me to comfort me?"

Shaking his head, Axl half-smiled in such a resigned fate at being caught that Sue couldn't help but think within that moment that her brother was incredibly attractive.

"Then do you… like me? Like, like me like me?"

"God Sue! Do you have to move that fast and ask so many questions?"

Shocked by the strength behind his exasperation, Sue bowed her head in contemplation. Axl, wanting this interrogation to come to an end, and for his efforts in making Sue smile to not go in vain, sighed audibly so Sue could look at him.

"I don't really have all the answers right now but I can tell you this." Testing whether or not she was comfortable with the idea, Axl slid his hand across her cheek before gently cupping the back of her head. He asked her silently if she wanted this as much as he did and when her eyes, after mild hesitation, closed into complacency, he placed his lips upon hers once more, this time sure to leave his mind devoid of any other thought except for the kiss they had been unknowingly waiting for.

XxX

**There you have it! The kiss!**

**I think that's a good way to try and get your forgiveness no? **

**Please review! The next chapter should be a bit of a time skip, filled with moments of their budding romance, secret rendezvous, and preparing for the dance!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Farah Mew & VeVe2491, I really want to give a special shout out to you two, for making my story feel so wonderful. That's right, **_**my story**_**. Because it has a life of its own. But hey. You make me feel wonderful too, so thanks for that!**

**I planned this chapter to be a sort of-not really- time skip. More like a rush of puppy-turned real love blend of moments. I always feel like in life, when you fall in love, everything becomes a haze, days fly by, and you become set in this own little bubble of a world. So, I'm going for that in this chapter- and let's be honest, I want to wrap this story up soon. I feel bad for leaving it un-updated for months at a time!**

* * *

><p>"They say if you fall asleep after something really amazing happens, it'll turn into a dream. A dream that'll last forever as a memory."<p>

"Un-huh. Who says something like that? That sounds girly."

Snuggling into the curve of his body, Sue sighs in wistfulness. "I don't know, I think I read it somewhere, but I think it's true…Axl! Hey! Are you even paying attention?

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I wonder...if we were to fall asleep right now, would you dream of me?"

"Who says we aren't dreaming right now? That this isn't a memory?"

"Axl?"

"Sue…wake up. Don't you remember?"

Desperate and confused, Sue watched as the walls start to collapse around her.

"I left. I left you all alone."

* * *

><p>There was just a week left until the dance but Sue couldn't be bothered with getting excited about it. The past two weeks went by in a haze of rainbow like proportions. After the kiss in the cornfield, Sue's eyes had been forcibly opened to the many wonders of a secret relationship. Normally a law-abiding good girl, the tantalizing feeling that accompanied her every time she met up with Axl secretly had brought about her inner bad girl.<p>

Kisses in janitorial closets, behind the school building, and in Axl's car parked somewhere far away, out of the small town's sights; every day, every hour they could sneak away, Axl and Sue became absorbed with one another. Axl, thinking himself crazy at first for having initiated this taboo romance, no longer cared about those fleeting thoughts of hesitation as he found himself captivated by Sue's eagerness to be with him. It was almost childlike, as though being excited to play with your new friend in elementary school, if it weren't for the rare moments of pure sensuality that Sue exuded during their intimate moments.

Sometimes Axl would find himself asking Sue to slow down because she aroused him so much, he feared it may lead to a point of no return. Sue, ever the oblivious, never knew why he wanted to cool down during their make-out sessions but was fine just the same with flipping her newfound sexy personality off and turning back on her dork personality to gush about the latest school project or gossip she heard from Brad.

During these times, Axl would just sit back and watch her, amazed that he could be so smitten, so quickly, with his _sister_, whom he normally tried to avoid being in the same room with. Shaking his head, he'd laugh randomly, confusing Sue, before he'd bring her into a hug to reaffirm that this was really happening, that they were really together.

X

Axl had almost forgotten about the elaborate plan to set up Sue and his friend Sean, if it hadn't been for Sean constantly reminding him about it. On most days he would use the excuse of the mystery girl being grounded as to why there had been no word from her, and on other days Axl would just give empty promises. He entertained the idea of telling Sean that the mystery girl dumped him and taking Sue to the dance himself, but quickly scratched the idea because there was no way they could ever go public. The rest of day Axl had been depressed, realizing a little too late that he may have got himself into a bind, with no way for everyone to come out of it happy.

When Sue asked their mother to take her dress shopping the last Saturday before the dance, Axl all too eagerly, and suspiciously, offered to take on the task instead. When Frankie questioned her son's intentions, he barely got away with saying that a girl he's interested in will be at the mall and that he'd like to meet up with her.

"As long as you don't leave your sister alone, then it's fine. Be back by seven, and don't spend too much please. Really. There are only so many checks I can send out that bounce back before the creditors start repossessing stuff."

"God, can you be any more poor? Come on Sue, let's go."

"Hey! If I'm poor you're poor too buddy!"

"Thanks Mom! Love you!"

Running to catch up to Axl, Sue smacked him lightly in the arm. "What was that for?"

"You don't have to be so mean to Mom, you know. She's working really hard to try and make us happy. And Dad too!"

"I get it Sue, you love our parents and appreciate life. Now get in the car, I want you to appreciate me for driving you."

"Axl!" Embarrassed, Sue looked around to see if anyone had been in earshot of what Axl said to her. "Someone could have heard that!"

"Oh yeah? I doubt anyone would be taking it the way you did, if they heard. Wow Sue, look whose mind is in the gutter? I mean, as a brother, I could have just made you do my homework in the car, as thanks for giving you a ride. I don't know what _you_ were thinking but…OW!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Haha, okay, quit it. I surrender!" Laughing with his hands up defensively, Axl backed away as a flustered Sue stared him down. "Come on, let's get you a dress, spaz."

Huffing, Sue jumped into the car after her brother and ignored his smiles the entire ride to the mall.

* * *

><p>"I want this one. I really, really want this one."<p>

"And I want a Lamborghini, doesn't mean I'll get one."

"It's not that expensive Axl, it's on sale, too!" Sashaying in the red fringe dress, Sue wiggled her eyebrows in an attempt to be convincing.

"Sue, first? Don't ever do that thing with your eyebrows again. Gross. Second? I don't care if it's within budget, you are _not_ wearing that and it's final!"

"But why not? It looks nice and….wait. Ooooo." Raising her voice to a high-pitch and pointing at Axl, Sue had an epiphany. Or so she thought. "You don't want me to wear this because you're jealous! You think all the boys will look at me and you don't want that! Oh, Axl…Oh my dear, dear Axl…" coming towards him with open, comforting arms, Axl placed his hand on her face and stopped her advancement.

"Sue, shut up. That's not the reason. I'm trying to _save_ you. It'll be social suicide if you wear that dress to the dance and people just started noticing you! Here, take that dress off, I'll be right back with something better."

"But Axl-"

"Do it!" Walking off, Axl came back moments later with a yellow dress. "Here, change into this." Waiting a few moments, Axl smiled when he heard Sue's squeals of delight.

"How did you know my size?"

"Doesn't matter. Come out and show me." Waiting impatiently, Axl's eyes widened when Sue emerged from the dressing room in a stunning yellow sweetheart dress. Not equipped with the proper bra, her pink bra straps stood out but still failed to take away from how beautiful she looked. It was a canary yellow; with an asymmetrical slip that fell down to the back of her knees. Under the breasts was a white bow lining that perked up to the side, and the back of the dress, when she spun around to show him, revealed a corset like stitching.

"Wow."

"Really, you think so Axl? I don't know if it's too short or revealing…"

"Listen carefully Sue, because I'm only going to say this once." An intake of breath. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

"Axl…" blushing, Sue played with the rim of the dress as Axl stepped closer to her. Grateful that they were in the fitting part of the store and no one was really shopping at the time, Sue allowed Axl's lips to softly capture her own for a fleeting moment before pulling away.

"So, you're buying this dress, and you're wearing it to the dance. End of story. Now let's grab some food, I'm starving."

Silently, Sue nodded as she mindlessly gathered up the dress and brought it to the checkout counter, the tingle of her lips touching her brother's still ever present.

* * *

><p>His fingers trace the small wisps of hair up and down her left arm as it lazily holds him in place beside her. It's a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon as they find themselves alone in the house, a perfect opportunity for their long awaited rendezvous. Their parents were forcibly taken to the library for one of Brick's projects and they could not be more grateful for their brother's tendency to be late with assignments than in that moment.<p>

She murmurs softly and adjusts herself before finding comfort with her head placed securely within the crook of his neck. His fingers in reply weave through her hair, becoming ensnarled every few seconds, causing him to give up soon after with a chuckle.

"You should brush your hair before you come to me, you know."

"Hmmm...why?" her voice is laced with the soft rumblings of sleep. His lips finds hers and kisses her awake.

"Because, it'll be easier to run my hands through them when we're like this..." After a moment's thought, he adds "dork." at the end of his statement for good measure. When she giggles and playfully calls out his name with a light smack, he grins and brings her flailing hands to his lips, softly leaving cascading kisses until he reaches her wrist.

"Axl, I wish we could be like this always."

He does not miss the note of defeat in her voice, but chooses to ignore it. If he were to believe that this-whatever this is-was doomed to not have a happily ever after, then why did they allow themselves to go down this path to begin with?

"It can be Sue, it will be." She looks up at him with those eyes that look as though he is the only one she will ever love, and he swears he almost believes it. She perks up at the sounds of their parent's car pulling up to the driveway and quickly kisses him on the lips before running out of his room.

Sitting up slowly, he makes his way to the bathroom to run cold water over his face, to wash away any evidence of their secret. The sounds of Sue's overly high pitched squeals over some fabricated story about what's she been doing for the past hour, his mother's deadpan voice feigning interest, and the uneven shuffling of his brother's feet, no matter how much he wishes to, does not distract him from the one clear and obvious truth before him.

Axl Heck was caught up in the fanaticism of this love.

"Axl! Where are you? I brought dinner from that one pizza place by the library. It's a little cold because Brick refused to leave the library but it's still good. Come get some before your father eats it all!"

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses! I'll be right there!" Grudgingly sitting at the table and grabbing the biggest slice he could, Axl tried to eat as fast as possible so he could retreat to his room for the rest of the night but was thwarted when his mother spoke up.

"You know, I ran into Nancy Donahue today and she was telling me that Sean has a mystery date for the dance! How exciting." Ignoring her son's choking, Frankie continued. "How about you guys? Axl? Who's your date? Sue, did you ever find someone to take you?"

Slapping his son's back, Mike sat down with a large 'thump' next to the book immersed Brick and moaned at how the biggest slice was gone. Able to breathe again, Axl started to worry over the predicament he had gotten himself into. With his mother staring him down, Axl was about to divert the topic when Sue started squealing.

"Well… Axl actually has a guy lined up for me! He hasn't really told me who it is yet, but I'm sure he'll be nice. I'm so excited!" Flabbergasted at how Sue seemed to betray him by revealing his plan, he was even more in awe by how she seemed completely unperturbed that they were sitting at the dinner table, acting like a family, when just moments ago they were being very un-sibling like.

"Oh…really? How nice. Sue, would you mind going out to the garage and getting that bottle of soda we left out there? You know, the one we wanted to test if it would be colder left outside than in our refrigerator?"

"Sure mom! I'll be back in a jiffy!"

"Take your time!" Waiting till the door shut, Frankie leaned in threateningly towards Axl. Mike and Brick watched silently, unaware of what was happening. "Axl, if you are playing a horrible prank on your sister you better stop right this instant! That poor girl does not need to be home crying all night while you're out laughing about it with your friends!"

"What?! Mom, stop! You're freaking me out." Backing away, Axl pushed his chair too far and ended up rolling off the chair and onto the floor. Hurriedly getting back on his feet, he put his hands in the air to calm his mother down. "It's not a prank, trust me. I got this. Wow. No faith!" Storming into his room, Axl missed Sue's downcast expression as she brought back a flat and extremely warm soda bottle.

"Where'd Axl go?"

"To his room. Don't worry about it." Getting up and feeling the bottle with a look of disdain, Frankie made a bee-line to the sink. "So…water for everyone?"

* * *

><p>"Hey…Sean, ole buddy and pal. Listen, I was wondering if I could talk to you, man to man."<p>

"Axl, these types of conversations never end well."

Patting his friend on his back, Axl brought Sean over to his locker. "So here's the deal. Mystery girl…is actually Sue, as in my sister, and I'm really sorry for keeping it from you but even she doesn't know and-"

"Wait, what? Your sister?! C'mon dude. I mean, Sue is nice, and has gotten really pretty…but it's my senior year Axl! I can't go with a freshman! Much less her. I mean. I would, any other time…like I said, she's nice…but…man, Axl! Why couldn't you just tell me from the beginning? The dance is in a few days!"

"Dude, listen, I'm sorry! I just…I felt like you wouldn't, well, that no one would if I didn't keep her identity hidden. Then she got all hot and now all these guys are looking at her but they still think she's too weird to take-and she is- I mean, she's not! So, it would be better if you went with her, yea?"

"That's really messed up Axl. I'm sure if you just honestly asked around, and talked about how great she was, someone could have warmed up to the idea. Lying and hiding all this, especially to me…I don't know Axl." The bell signaling that class was starting disrupted the two high school friends and the tension dissipated into the air. "Listen, just give me some time to think about it, okay? Oh, and tell your sister at the very least, she deserves to know."

Feeling defeated, Axl went to class only to step out quickly after attendance was taken when Sue texted him to meet in their "secret spot". Quickly walking down the familiar path, Axl ended up in the janitorial closet awaiting Sue. When the door opened, Sue quickly flung herself upon Axl, hugging him tightly.

"After you dropped me off this morning I didn't see you all day until ten minutes ago when I saw you talking to Sean. You looked upset so I didn't want to bother you, but I was worried. Is everything okay?"

Pained that his sister could be so sensitive to his situation, and so oblivious that she was about to be left broken-hearted on the night of the dance all because of him, Axl pushed Sue to the side and mumbled that he needed to be alone.

"Axl? What's wrong? You can talk to me…"

"Sue…" Looking into her eyes filled with love and concern, Axl resolved in that moment to make sure that his sister would not end up crying by the end of all this. Pulling her into his arms, Axl slowly kissed the top of her forehead before pulling away. "Everything's going to be fine, and you're going to go to the dance with a great guy. I promise."

"You're sort of freaking me out…but, thanks Axl. I trust you." Kissing him on the cheek, Sue quickly left the closet to run back to class. Axl, trying to map out a plan that could work out for both of them, stayed behind a little longer.

From point A to point B, he could not see a happily ever after. How could he convince Sean to take her? What if he refuses? Who could step in and fill the role? Him? An ending where Sue ends up in his arms at the dance was absolutely unfathomable at this point. Frustrated, he punched the wall; realizing no matter how many times he tried to think solely about the dance, point A always became "Axl" and point B always ended up being "Sue". Points that were already fated to never meet without consequence.

_**X**_

**Yes! The next chapter will be the dance, and then after that, the epilogue! If you took the time to notice, there were no flashbacks or "glimpses into the future" and I finally started to incorporate the previous chapter's glimpses! The next chapter will have an accumulation of all those glimpses and something big will happen! Be on the lookout! Thanks for always reading and reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: There is no amount of apologies I could give to make it up to my dear, lovely readers. Besides writer's block, with the show making Sue x Darrin cannon I just lost my muse and my motivation, since there were no more scenes with this lovely pairing! Please forgive me?**

**To anyone still reading… I present to you the final chapter of Lullaby Delirium! All past glimpses into the future, and the height and fall of this relationship lies just ahead!**

* * *

><p>I often think about how lucky I am to be born. Not only to be alive, but to be born in this time. Where there is so much technology, so much understanding, and no current world war…I can't imagine how hard life was like a few generations ago. Heck, I know I wouldn't survive. I mean, look at me! You call me a dork all the time, and I'm a hapless loser who's always getting hurt. But, do you know what I think about most of all?<p>

I often think about how lucky I am to be born around the same time as _you._

X

"Mom! Can you please take me to the hair salon tomorrow? Pretty please with color sprinkles on top?" Begging her distracted mother, Sue was just one day away from the big dance. As Frankie waved her daughter with a noncommittal acceptance of the task, Sue danced in glee before running to her room.

"What was all that about? Sue being a beggar again?"

Refusing to chuckle at the joke, Frankie glared at her son in reprimand. "Stop it Axl, leave your sister alone, she's just excited about the dance! Speaking of, does she know who she's going with? Who is it Axl?"

"Geez, get off my back woman, I told you I got this!" Huffing dramatically, Axl left the kitchen and nodded to his dad as he passed him by. Knocking on Sue's door, he interrupted her mock dancing with the dress over her clothes. "Are you practicing dancing or having a seizure?"

"Axl! Get out! Mooooom! Axl's bothering me again!" yelling with a mischievous smirk only Axl could see, they both knew their mother would respond with half-hearted concern as Axl leaned in to kiss Sue softly.

"Axl! Go to your room!"

Whispering while pulling away, Axl kept firm eye contact with his sister. "Only if you come with me." Walking towards his room, he yelled back fake defeat to his parents before winking at Sue.

Debating whether or not she should take the risk of uncharacteristically being seen in Axl's room, just then Brick walked by slowly, intent on reading his book as he headed to his room. Sighing in disappointment, Sue closed the door to her room and started preparing her schoolbag for the last day of school before the dance.

X

"Oh my God Ms. Popular! You never have time for us anymore!" Flamboyant and full of energy, Brad was creating a ruckus by the lockers despite it being only nine a.m. "Where have you been? All these guys have taken an interest in you but they know they don't stand a chance, what with you never even having time to hang out with us! So who is he, this mystery guy?! You have to give me all the details. Oh! Unless you took up a new hobby, you know I said I'd do Zumba with you!"

"Brad, Brad! There's nothing to dish, there's no…guy, or anything. I've just been working on my, um, knitting!"

"Liar! There would be Band-Aids all over your fingers if you were knitting Sue Heck, don't forget I know you better than you know yourself! Ugh! Can't believe the day when you lie to me has come. He must be really worth it! Ooo, do your parents disapprove? Is he a college boy?"

"Um… I, you see… oh!" Catching the eye of her best friend, Sue reached out to her life line. "Carly! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Hi Sue!" Walking behind the short bubbly girl was Eric, Carly's boyfriend and date to the dance. The goofy pair waved enthusiastically at him, and after nodding at them, he waved goodbye before heading to class. "What's going on? You guys seem so lively."

"Sue has a boyfriend and won't tell us who he is!"

"I do not! Stop it, Brad!" Redirecting her attention to Carly, Sue perked up. "So, I was thinking that my mom could drive us both to get our hair done tomorrow before the dance, and then me, you, Brad, Eric and um…yeah, just us, can go all together!"

"Oh! That sounds like a great plan Sue! Is Brad your date for the dance?"

"As if! This girl ditched me for a mystery man!" Crossing his arms he glared tiny daggers at Sue before walking away with a wave. "Oh, hi Axl!" Enthusiastically calling out his name, Brad then turned down the hall to go to 3rd period class.

Looking up at her brother's name, Sue watched as Axl's face turned from discomfort to interest as he made eye contact with her. When a teammate from his football team slapped his back playfully to most likely make fun of the interaction with Brad, Sue was enchanted with how he could hardly stop himself from looking at her.

After the third call of her name, Carly gave up on Sue and turned to see what she was looking at. "Oh, it's Axl, boy he is always so popular. Are you going with one of his friends to the dance? What was Brad talking about?"

Snapping out of it, Sue turned to Carly to usher her away from the lockers and towards class. "I really don't know what he's talking about, honest!"

X

Axl was desperate, Sean had told him at the start of lunch that he was going to take a senior classmate of his to the dance tomorrow, and that he had hoped Axl told Sue the truth. Panicked, Darrin had overheard the conversation and offered to take Sue, but Axl had a bad feeling about the combination of idiots and refused to hand Sue over to him.

"Wouldn't it be cool if we could have like, one of those themed balls, the ones in James Bond movies where the assassin is like- 'Oh! You look pretty fancy and bam! You're dead!'" acting out the scene, Darrin sat down with a hard thump, proud of himself for his idea.

"You mean like ones rich people throw?" Sean shook his head at his friend before stuffing the lunch meat in his mouth.

"Yeah, that!"

"Lame! You go to a dance to kiss a girl when the slow music starts, think about how awkward it would be if we didn't know how to dance like them, not smooth at all." Sean nodded at his own assessment before gesturing towards Axl.

"Worse, what if you get the girl wrong. Like, when they go crazy over wearing the same dress or shoes, girls don't like to share…and then you start dancing with the wrong girl because don't they switch partners and stuff? With Axl's luck he'll be partnered with weird Ashley all over again!" Laughing and playfully punching each other at the concept, Axl let out a groan at the idea before having an epiphany.

"I have to go! Save me that pudding!" Dashing off and missing Sue's curious gaze, Axl figured he could make it to the costume store and back before the end of the school day.

X

"You're here! When I saw you run out of the school I thought you left for the day, I tried texting you but didn't hear back. I was ready to take the bus. Is everything okay? Is mom and dad okay? Oh! Did mom leave the oven on again?! Did our house burn down?! Where will we live?! I'll have to get five jobs, but we can do it if we stick together!"

"What? No!" Giving her an incredulous look, Axl opened the car door with confusion. "Why are you such a spaz? Just get in the car, we're going home."

"Is everything really okay?"

"Yeah, it's whatever. Stop asking."

"Why are you suddenly treating me so coldly Axl?"

"Geez, I'm not. Stop getting so dramatic." As they pulled up to the house, Sue was disappointed that Axl didn't offer to drive them somewhere to make-out like he had every Friday for the past few days. Hesitating to get out of the car, when Sue saw Axl get out and walk to the house without looking back at her, she simply sighed and followed him in.

Axl's mind was preoccupied with how he was going to pull off his plan. Would he be discovered? What plausible lie could he come up with to throw suspicion? All the while he was thinking of this elaborate ruse, he failed to recognize Sue's growing anxiety.

With Axl ignoring her throughout the rest of the evening and not making a pass to kiss her or touch her, Sue became disheartened at the prospect of dancing with someone else tomorrow, and instead wanted to stay home with Axl alone. Glancing constantly at Axl to see if he was going to sit next to her on the couch, or come into her room to 'bother' her, Sue tried to distract herself by reading her teenage magazines that may give some tips on her boy troubles. Unfortunately for her, there was no tip on how to fix your secret love relationship with your brother.

When Axl finally emerged from his room to go to the bathroom, a near repeat of the first night that started him on this path of unforgiving sin, played out once more before him. Crashing on the floor, Sue perked up after her instantaneous apology upon realizing that she had landed on Axl. Shuffling under her, Axl tried to move her off him without eye contact but Sue held fast, concern decorating her features.

"Axl…" soft and innocent, she bent down and kissed his lips. Pulling back, she looked quickly up and down the hallway, ensuring that they were alone. With everyone in their bedroom, Sue rested her head on his chest. "I can hear your heartbeat. Why is it beating so fast?"

No answer met her simple question, and eventually she lifted her head in frustration. "Why have you been ignoring and avoiding me today?"

"Just drop it Sue, and could you get off me? You're heavy!" Moving to accommodate his wishes, Axl had to fight the urge to hold her tight when her face morphed from confusion to offense. "Listen, I'm just thinking about a lot of things. Like the dance tomorrow. You shouldn't be so trusting to go with a guy you haven't even met, you know."

"But Axl, you told me to trust you, and I do. I know you wouldn't set me up with someone bad."

"That's not what I meant. Just…forget it. I think you should forget about the dance. Just stay home, alright?"

At first, she was quiet, watching him to see if she could figure him out. When she couldn't, her eyes started to water before she furiously wiped at them. "What are you doing Axl? Is it because you don't want to see me with anyone else? If that's the reason…why don't you just be honest and say it?"

Knowing that she has been looking forward to showing off her new dress and appearance to everyone at school, Axl couldn't take that away from her despite his plan to have a private dance with her somewhere. Though he wanted to be selfish and keep her to himself, he refused to cage her up like a beautiful bird, never to see the world and experience the joy of spectators gawking at her unique beauty.

"Pshaw. Like I care about you dancing with anyone else? Heck, I'm going to be dancing with tons of girls tomorrow night. I just didn't want you to embarrass me." Instantly regretting his on the spot lie, he reached out to Sue to try and take back the words he never could.

"Oh." As she stood up quickly, refusing to meet his gaze, Axl wanted the carpet floor to eat him whole.

Expecting Sue to cry or run away, Axl was not prepared for Sue's coldness. Quickly, she slapped him. In a flash, concern was etched across her face but was quickly replaced with a distant look in her eye. "So you're going to do this again? Lie and make up excuses to hide your true feelings?" Tilting her head after the summation of her guess, she nodded without his affirmation.

As Sue walked away back into her bedroom, Axl silently stood in the hallway; his eyes ablaze with the realization that everything was crumbling apart faster than it started. Angry at himself for unwittingly hurting Sue once more in an attempt to conceal a truth that was far more painful, he was more irritated at the idea that his sister could see right through him, and call him out on his nonsense.

Walking to the door, his fist hovered over the wood in hesitation. Eventually deciding to let things unfold tomorrow with his plan, he brought his hand to his side.

Softly, he murmured under his breath. "I promise I'll make it better tomorrow. You deserve better, Sue."

X

When Sue returned home from the hair salon with Carly, after a silent battle against Axl this morning, and giggling distractions while on her beauty date with her best friend, she was saddened when her father informed her that Axl already left to get ready for the dance.

"Isn't it…a bit early though?" Despite still being angry from yesterday, she couldn't help being hopeful in the idea that he would accompany her to the dance.

"I think a girl called and asked for him to pick her up and take her out to dinner or something, at least that's what he mumbled while rushing out the house." Mike shrugged. "Who knows?"

Frankie dropped the groceries on the table from when she went shopping while Sue underwent her hair make-over. "Mike, can you drive Sue and her friends to the dance? I want to relax after all this shopping- you wouldn't believe the fights I had to get into to get some of the deals!"

Rolling his eyes, he gave in to her plea and told Sue to let him know when everyone's ready to head out.

"Thanks Dad! Carly and I are just going to put on our make-up and dresses and we'll be ready in a jiffy!" Smiling while bringing Carly to her room, Sue glanced at Axl's door and visibly became dejected. Carly, picking up on the change in mood gave Sue a comforting pat on the back.

"It's going to be okay Sue, you look really pretty and I bet a lot of boys are going to want to dance with you tonight."

"Thanks Carly." Too bad the only one I want to dance with is forbidden, she thought.

Later, as the girls prepared to be driven, with Frankie gushing over how beautiful her daughter looked and what a shame their dates were not picking them up, Sue smiled for the picture that unknowingly would memorialize a soon to be metamorphic night.

"So Sue, do you have a date to this thing?"

"Yes Dad, he's going to meet me there, so will Carly's date."

Gutturally responding, Mike pulled up to the curve in front of the school and looked back at his daughter to stop her as her friend got out. "Sue, you look really nice tonight." Mike raised his hand to stop Sue from interrupting his speech with a squeal. "So, I expect boys will be looking at you. Just promise me you'll be smart, okay? Look for your brother if you have any problems. I know he doesn't act like it, but he does love you Sue, and I know he'll protect you from any stupid boys that try to hurt you."

The million pieces that came together to create this heart-filled blameless love, now shattered and crumbled into fragmented bits of guilt laced sin.

"I will Dad. Thank you…" leaving the car before he could see her tears, Sue walked briskly past Carly so the breeze could gently brush against her cheeks and give cause for her glassy eyes.

The Spring Dance was filled with bright decorations and matched her canary yellow dress perfectly. As Carly met up with Eric quickly, and Brad gushing over how pretty she looked, all Sue Heck could do was scan the crowd for her brother, Axl.

"Sue! Is that you? You look great!" Blushing at the compliment, Sue thanked Darrin and inquired about Axl and Sean. "Oh, those jokers? Sean is with some girl by the punch bowl and I haven't seen Axl all night." Nodding, Sue wondered if Axl was still at dinner with his date. The feelings of envy and rage were new to her but she did her best to suppress them. "Hey Sue? If you're not here with anyone, do you think you would do me the honor of being my date?"

Carly, who was within earshot, giggled and pushed Sue towards Darrin. Eric, who was nice enough but didn't care much for sneaky flirtations, gave Darrin a pat on the shoulder and asked him to 'man up'. "C'mon Carly, let's leave these two alone. Darryl wanted to introduce his date to us, let's go find them."

Feeling embarrassed and awkward by the situation at first, Sue then realized that she should enjoy the moment, since Darrin was a great dancer anyway. "I'd love to, Darrin." Happily, the both of them started to dance off-beat to the music. After a few songs, Darrin asked Sue what happened with her date.

"I don't know, guess he was a no-show!" Shrugging, Sue stopped dancing when the music unexpectedly changed to a slow dance. Watching other couples get closer, Sue frowned at the idea of not having Axl here in this moment.

"Do you mind if I get a little closer?" Reaching out to Sue, Darrin, who was in a matte black shirt, bashfully grabbed her waist and brought her towards him.

In that moment, as Sue looked out onto the dance floor, as if a hidden S.O.S. beacon has been sent out, she met Axl's forceful gaze. For a moment, his expression underwent a kaleidoscope of emotions. At first, stricken, then a slow blend leading eventually into possessive anger. With three long strides, Axl had crossed the dance floor towards the exit. Sue without thinking and running on pure instinct, left the clueless Darrin and ran after Axl.

Once outside, Sue shouted towards Axl and demanded an explanation.

"Axl! Answer me!" Grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around to face her, Sue didn't take a moment to admire his choice of clothes and instead focused on being frustrated over his mysterious hot or cold game. When his eyes stayed fixated on the floor while clutching something dark in his hand, Sue sighed and stepped back to lean against the building's wall.

"Was this your plan all along…? To make me look so…stupid and alone? In front of everyone?"

"Sue…it wasn't like that…" Looking up, Axl stopped trying to explain the situation, confused because she ended up being perfectly fine, looking happy while dancing with Darrin. In this moment, he briefly wondered if he should just break it off now. Let this unhealthy obsession to be near her, and possess all of her, wither away so she has a chance at a normal, happy life.

"How could you? I trusted you!" Frustrated with his half-hearted answers and unfinished excuses, Sue started to walk away.

All the words he wanted to shout collapsed upon one another in a desperate attempt to get out first. Words like 'Don't leave.', or 'Run away with me' sought shelter through his cowardice. In the end, Axl knew he didn't have the power nor the means to force Sue into a permanent solution for a temporary problem. "Please-wait! Just hear me out! I didn't mean to-"

"ENOUGH! I'm done listening to your excuses! I'm done…with you!" Running back into the school gymnasium where the dance was being held, Sue had every intention to run to the bathroom in order to call her father to pick her up. However, Darrin, seeing Sue return walked quickly to her and interrupted her plan with a barrage of questions.

"What's wrong Sue? You looked really angry back there? Did you get your…you know what?"

At first confused, Sue focused on what Darrin was saying and visibly tensed up. "Ew! Darrin! What's wrong with you? You're not supposed to talk about _that_ out loud." Frantically throwing her hands in the air, she tried waving Darrin away. "I just…have a lot on my mind right now, I'm sorry Darrin. You're a great dancer and really nice but I…"

Smiling, the senior year boy placed his hand on Sue's shoulder in a comfortingly gesture. "Nah, it's fine. If you want some punch or to continue dancing, I'll do whatever I can to make you feel better."

On the verge of replying, Sue became shocked into silence when a figure dressed in a pale grey suit while wearing a shiny silver mask emerged behind Darrin. Noticeably, the guy's hair was tied up in a tight ponytail, and his lips were small yet in a firm line before it spoke.

"Dance with me."

As if she were hypnotized, Sue nodded and placed her hand in the welcoming black gloved palm. Darrin, who was confused and felt he had recognized the voice, but couldn't quite make the connection, watched wordlessly as Sue started dancing with the mysterious figure.

As to be expected, the spectators grew quickly as everyone around them turned to see who Sue was dancing with, no one seemingly able to figure out who it was. Sue, who knew the moment she saw him walk up behind Darrin, had to fight back tears of happiness as she let her brother, Axl, lead her in a soft, slow dance.

"Everyone is watching."

"Let them." A twirl and then a shift of his hands as it trailed gently from her hip to rest softly on the nape of her neck.

"Why are you doing this? How did we…get here?"

The music was reaching its' peak, and as teachers started to walk out on to the dance floor to break up the commotion, Axl dipped Sue smoothly so her hair touched the floor.

"Before I realized it, I had spent a couple of hours thinking about you." Gently, almost timidly, he whispered in her ear.

"Hey, you there! Take off your mask! Do you even go to this school?"

When picking her back up, his lips turned into a defeated smile. "And after it was far too late, I had fallen in love with you."

Placing a quick kiss on a breathless Sue's lips, Axl dashed out of the gymnasium in a flurry, leaving excited teenagers in his wake. Sue, who blinked back tears and was unable to leave her position, was swarmed by classmates and teachers alike, asking her to explain what just happened.

"I…have to go." Catching Darrin's heartbroken gaze, Sue silently apologized before running outside to see a familiar car.

Still wearing the mask, Axl had his face pressed up against the driving wheel of his car. As Sue walked slowly up to the passenger door, she bent down and watched him silently for a moment. When had she fallen so completely in love with her brother, she questioned. Using her nail to tap softly against the glass, Sue smiled warmly as Axl shifted his face to the side and watched her in disbelief. She didn't know if this was the right decision, but in heart she knew there was no going back now.

Quickly, Axl took off his mask and opened the car so he could sit up straight to face her as she sat down. "You came." Nodding silently, Sue sat still, trying to absorb all that happened. "We should leave…um. Yeah, mom and dad are home so…"

"Just drive, Axl." Following her command, Axl started up the car and drove out the parking lot just before a few students came out to investigate the exciting event further.

X

Silence enveloped the car as the star-crossed couple drove outside their small town for a half-hour. With each passing moment, Axl wanted to pull off to the side and ask if Sue felt the same way as he did, and if she understood his confession on the dance floor.

"Is it alright if we park here?" Pulling up to a motel, Axl instantly realized the implication of his words and immediately tried to take it back. "No, I mean not like to do anything…"

Turning towards her brother, Sue blushed but took a deep breath before answering. Working to make her voice sound mature, she placed one hand into his open palm and the other on Axl's cheek before she kissed him. "I think…we should go in."

Wide-eyed and speechless, every bone in Axl's body screamed at him to stop this plan and turn the car back on so he could drive them straight home; however, Sue's ambivalent eyes yet earnest grip on his hand clouded his judgment and allowed him to lead Sue out the car.

After a questionable look from the man behind the counter, Axl and Sue sat on the dingy bed and laughed awkwardly while making remarks about how creepy the room was. Hesitantly, Sue stood up and excused herself to the bathroom. Axl knowing this usually meant the girl was preparing herself for the next step, quickly checked to see if his armpits and breath smelled badly-giving it a passing grade, he then removed his grey suit jacket and unbuttoned his black dress shirt before taking off his belt. When he heard the bathroom door unlock, his heartbeat rose to a concerning speed as he watched Sue attempt to sexily walk out the bathroom.

Overly haughty at first, Sue flicked her hair and acted like a car show model by using her hand to point out the length of her body. Wiggling her eyebrows at first, she then muttered 'shoot' under her breath, remembering that Axl thought it was gross when she did that. Chuckling, Axl shook his head at Sue as she continued to muster up her courage to appear sexy. Little did she know that Axl had to fight back the urge to grab her and throw her on the bed right then and there.

"Do you…like what you see?" Her timid voice was all the invitation Axl needed as he closed the space between them and kissed her passionately on her lips. Sue, at first taken aback by the strength of his kiss, slowly dissolved into his arms as he worked to unzip her dress. When they pulled apart to gasp for air, Sue was standing clad in a soft pink slip.

"You're absolutely beautiful." Pulling her into a kiss before she could ramble off in embarrassment, Axl lead her gently on to the bed to lie under him as he traced the outline of her body with his free hand. When Sue moaned softly, a moment of clarity hit Axl as he shot straight up and broke contact. "Wait. Sue, this…you and me. I don't know if…"

"Do you not…want me? I know I might not be as sexy as all the girls you know but…"

"No! I mean, Yes, you are very,_ very_ sexy, you have no idea how hard this is for me right now… but I just need to make sure you know where this might…lead to. You're young Sue, and I'm afraid that I might be taking advantage of you." Sighing, Axl sat beside Sue while holding her hand. Kissing the back of her hand before taking the plunge, Axl turned to look at his sister.

"I love you Sue. I really do." An intake of breath. "Do you love me?"

Without hesitation, Sue hugged Axl and nodded multiple times before shouting yes into his chest.

"Please, let me hear you actually say it." Pushing her to arms' length, he searched Sue's eyes for the truth he felt in his own.

"I love you, Axl. I know it's against all of what Reverend Tim Tom taught us, and that we might be banished to the fiery pits of hell but I don't care! You're my brother and you've bullied me countless times, even making me cry on occasion…" Axl grimaced at the honesty but allowed Sue to continue. "But you have also, always, been there for me when it mattered most. No one looks out for me like you do, and no one knows me better than you do, either. You see not only the weak in me, but my strong points too. For better or for worse, your excellence at everything you do was always the motivation that kept me trying to succeed. I think…without you, I wouldn't be the Sue Heck that I am proud of today, and I know, without you, I can't imagine a life where I am happy."

Pursing his lips and rubbing his eyes vehemently, Axl tried hard to stay cool and refused to cry. "Dammit Sue, I didn't need you to say all that…" Falling back on the bed face first, Axl draped his arm over Sue's stomach when she laid down on her back.

"Axl?"

When he looked up, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist her.

"Kiss me?"

X

Creeping back into the house late at night, they were immediately yelled at when the light turned on the reveal an upset Frankie and very grumpy Mike.

"Where have you been?! I tried both your cellphones, your friend's numbers, and the school but no one knew where you had run off to!"

"Frankie, calm down. To be fair, the school didn't even know Sue existed. They probably mixed her up with some other girl who ran off with the supposed masked vigilante."

Inwardly freaking out, Sue tried to think up of an excuse and wanted to blurt out how sorry she was when Axl stepped forward.

"Whoa, first of all? You almost gave me a heart attack jumping out of the dark yelling at me like that. Do you want to spend money on a hospital bill? Because that's how you end up sending your kid to the hospital." Frankie tried to interrupt Axl but he refused to allow her. "Second! My phone died, and Sue never gets any phone calls since she's a loser so she just forgot to check it. She was all whiny that some girl was getting special attention at the dance with this Zorro guy or whatever, so I did the brotherly responsible thing you _always_ yell at me to do, and took her out to get a burger and then we came back! There! Gosh, making me talk so much and stuff. I'm exhausted and need to replenish my coolness after spending too much time around a loser!" Storming off to his bedroom, Frankie chased after him yelling that he was grounded while Mike watched Sue curiously.

"Hey, Sue, c'mere a sec." Unable to refuse her father, Sue walked quietly up to her dad. "Why do you look so…disheveled? Did you meet up with your date? Please don't tell me he laid his hands on you." Firm with worry, Mike waited for Sue to answer his worse fear.

"No Dad, I was just dancing a lot by myself and then knocked into some decorations and fell over…" smiling bashfully, Sue hoped her father would accept her lie.

Sighing, Mike waved his daughter off in exasperation. "Got it. Just…go to bed, and check your phone next time. You're usually much more responsible than this Sue."

Nodding before running to her room, she yelled goodnight to her mother before slamming the door.

X

When the daylight streamed in, Sue groggily opened her eyes. A soft snore had brought her out of her nightmare of being arrested and thrown into a jail that was located in hell. Coming to a sudden realization, Sue yelped at Axl's half-naked figure that was basically sleeping on top of her. Vaguely remembering him coming into the room with an excuse that he couldn't sleep after what had happened last night, they ended up whispering nonsensical ideas back and forth about their future before falling asleep with a smile on their faces.

"Sue? Can I talk to you for a moment? Are you awake?" Pure terror radiated through Sue at the thought of their mother catching them. Violently shoving Axl awake, when he muttered that he needed five more minutes, Sue covered his mouth to muffle the sound before throwing him off the bed.

"Sue? Are you alright in there?"

"Um, just a minute!"

Axl's eyes widened as he caught on and quickly dove into Sue's closet. Frankie gave one more knock before letting herself in just as Sue pulled the covers up to her chin. "Sue? What was that just now? Usually you're up bright and early."

"Sorry, I think I had too much punch from the dance, and you know juice makes me hyper…so I couldn't fall asleep until much later."

"Right. Well, here's the thing. I wanted to talk to you about last night. Now Sue, I know you're usually responsible and you're the one I have to worry least about, but I was thinking that, maybe I should start getting a bit more involved. I mean, after all, I am your mother, and I don't even know who you went to the dance with."

Constantly glancing at the closet, Sue tried to rush her mother out of her room. "Actually, Mom, as a growing teenager, I'd actually prefer it if you don't ask too many questions. You know! Just being a typical moody teen!"

"Uh-huh. Well…can't say I didn't try, right? Listen, you do look tired, and Brick said Axl must have left early to go somewhere since he's not in bed. Probably to freakin' Donohue's again since he left his car here. Anyway, your dad, Brick and I are going to head to Sunday church, but if you're not feeling well, I'll let you pass on going today."

"Thanks Mom, yeah, I think I'll rest up and make it up next week."

Patting Sue's bed, Frankie nodded and left the bedroom. Axl, peeking out to check if the coast was clear, pretended to wipe sweat off his brow before jumping on Sue's bed.

"That was close! Good save. Can't believe mom wants to get to 'know you better'. Ha!" Reaching up to twirl Sue's hair, Axl stopped when he saw Sue's face. "What's the matter?"

Listening for the sounds of their mother yelling at Brick to hurry up, followed by the door closing and the car leaving the garage, Sue sighed. "Axl, we need to tell them."

"What?! Are you out of your mind?" standing up, Axl checked out into the hallway to make sure they were alone. "They'll crucify us, Sue!"

"But Axl, I don't think I can keep lying to mom and dad…" on the verge of tears, Sue brought her hands up to her face. "Maybe they'll understand!"

"Sue! Look at me!" Crawling towards her on the bed, Axl pulled his sister's hands away from her face and forced her to face him. "We'll be separated. Or worse! Do you honestly want that?"

"No! Of course not! But what if they find out on their own? Wouldn't that be worse? I don't want to hurt anyone…especially not mom and dad."

"But you said you loved me! What we did last night…don't you know what that means to other people, Sue?!"

"Axl…maybe if we just tell them how we really feel, they'll allow it." At the look of his face, Sue instantly changed her pleas. "What if we run away? What if we just up and run away, Axl? I can quit school, and you'll be graduating soon…we can both get jobs, I know I'm clumsy but I can be a waitress and…"

Her voice turned into muffled sounds as Axl became dizzy. This was exactly what he had feared when continuing this liaison. Thoughts of running away had plague his every thought when he felt he was going to have to give up Sue, but the idea of Sue missing out on a normal future gave him the resolve to push the idea into the far depths of his brain. Now, Sue was proposing just that, and Axl became wrought with regret that he had pushed his fragile and honest to a fault sister so far. Physically in pain, Axl left Sue's embrace that had somehow transpired throughout her convictions and stood by the bedroom door.

Thinking about how much the sounds in the house has changed; Sue was lost among her reminiscing. Back in the day, this place was like a house of magic. A place so filled with tears and laughter. Surely, she thought, we would always be this happy. Slowly, Sue became attentive to Axl's sudden shift in mood, the silence scared her and tentatively she watched as Axl turned his body to leave.

"Axl! Don't-" Getting off the bed in haste, Sue attempted to reach out to Axl but missed when he pulled back. Falling to the floor in shock, Sue looked up at Axl in dread. before trying to stand up again.

"You're delirious Sue! You always have been! I don't know how you could possibly think this would ever work!"

She takes a last glimpse of comfort at the ticking on the clock's face and she swears those hands move faster every day. There's a moment, a small moment of hesitation, of desperation, but then they soon fall away out of reach.

The noise of the door shutting far off echo within her and she knows they've finally crossed the line. She silently falls to the floor but all she can do is gaze at the time.

_You were my lullaby delirium. _

_**X Epilogue X**_

"Sue! Are you sure you don't want to take Brick trick or treating?"

"Mom… I don't even want to go. I rather read my book on the world of Pharmacology." Brick's deadpanned voice had become deep yet his height remained mainly the same throughout the three years that had passed. Frankie, who was covering grey hair with department store dye, simply shrugged at her son before waving to Mike.

"Forget it then! Your Dad and I are going over to the Halloween Block Party, tell Carly we said hi and be careful out there! Oh! And if you see your brother hanging around at that party, tell him to come home more often! And that I'm still mad at him for choosing to go to school so far from home! Love you!"

Opening her bedroom door to shout back her mother's endearments, Sue gave a thumbs up to Brick before slipping five dollars into his hand. "So, how do I look?"

"Like a girl?"

"Thanks Brick, always a charmer." Smiling gleefully, Sue jumped up and down in excitement but was still not use to the new bra she was wearing that emphasized her cleavage. Seventeen going on eighteen, Sue had kept her dorky personality but obtain a fashion sense and had become somewhat noticed at school. Wearing a little black dress with one inch heels, Sue waved goodbye to Brick before heading out to her car. After multiple failing grades, Sue finally got her license one year and a half ago and had been able to work hard to get her own car.

When her phone buzzed with a text after she buckled her seat-belt, Sue smiled before pulling out of the driveway. An hour outside the city later, Sue was naked and changing into another outfit. Zipping her up, rough hands from far too many football games tickled her sides before kissing her neck.

"You ready?"

Blissfully, she whispered "Yes."

Walking up, holding hands tightly, a door opened to reveal a middle aged woman holding out a bowl of candy. "My, aren't you two a little old to be going trick or treating?" After a moment's thought, the woman grabbed candy out of the bowl and put it into the shared bag. "I must say though, you two make an attractive Wizard of Oz pair! Tin-man and Dorothy…who would have thought of making them a couple?"

"Oh, didn't you know? The Tin-Man needed the heart only Dorothy could give."

Hands held tight, Axl took off his metal hat and placed it on Sue's head as they fought over the candy they had received while walking back to her car. On nights like these, the two escape their reality and bask in the delight of their secret rendezvous. One day, their whispered promises of a world for only them will come true, but for now...

**~Fin~**


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